Years Away From What I Need
by kashudoreineko
Summary: Finally, we find out what happens with Nakatsu after graduation.
1. Chapter 1

**YEARS AWAY FROM WHAT I NEED**

**DISC: I don't own Hana Kimi or the characters. Please don't sue. I'm not profiting from this story, other than the benefit of the joy of writing it.**

"**Welcome! Welcome, Shu-chan!"**

"**Hello, Auntie!"**

"**Good to see you again! Yes, very good. I've got your regular table waiting!"**

"**Thank you so much."**

"**Your regular and fried noodle with ham?"**

**Nakatsu smiled and nodded at the woman and sat down. He'd been coming to this Teppan Okonomiyaki restaurant for 14 years now. He'd discovered it when he was a first year in high school at Ohsaka Gakuen and had continued to frequent the restaurant throughout his time at school – whenever he was feeling down, or homesick. **

**He'd also visited several times with his two best friends from high school. That is, until Mizuki had to leave and go back to the states.**

**As he started cooking up the dish, he thought of the first time Sano and Mizuki had come together here. "They already looked like an old married couple back then." He smiled as he sighed. 12 years later, and he still felt his heart was divided. He was so in love with Mizuki back then, even thinking she was a he. But she loved Sano. There was no denying that! Not then, not now. **

**Back then, he'd tried. He'd tried so hard to get her to love him the way he loved her. Hell, he loved her so much, he'd been willing to give up everything, he'd been willing to believe he was GAY, just to be with her. But even so… She and Sano were meant for each other.**

**Even if that weren't obvious to anyone with eyes, they were a family now. From the moment Mizuki got pregnant… well, really from the moment Nakatsu FOUND OUT Mizuki was pregnant, he knew that not only did he not have a chance, not only were these two meant for each other, but that what he really wanted more than anything was to help these two to MAKE IT! They deserved to be happily together.**

**Yeah, he loved Mizuki, but the truth was, he also loved Sano. JUST AS A FRIEND! But still. Sano and Mizuki… and Kayashima, of course… were the most important friends of his high school life. Even though it hurt to know she didn't love him like she loved Sano, after she left he discovered that he didn't love Mizuki like Sano did either. He didn't need Mizuki the same way Sano did, he didn't completely fall apart when she left. But Sano… Sano absolutely couldn't live without Mizuki. And she couldn't live without Sano. He could never stand in the way of that. He was glad that he could be there for his friends, really.**

**And still be there for his friends today. It's amazing to have friends you can stay close to, even as you grow down such different paths.**

**Who would have guessed that he'd develop friendships in high school that would be as deep and long lasting as his childhood friendship with Atsushi. **

**He reached up and touched his hair. His dark brown hair. He smiled, as he remembered the World Cup – playing against Atsushi on the German team. They'd both kept up their end of the deal – both with bleach blonde hair. And after Japan beat Germany – thanks in large part to their star, Nakatsu Shuichi – and they'd gone out for beers at a German beer hall, Shuichi and Atsushi left to go to a barber – where both had their heads shaved, and they agreed they'd both NEVER be blonde again!**

**He thought he looked so different now than he had back in high school. But apparently, he looked pretty much the same. Mizuki and Sano easily recognized him when he arrived for New Year's dinner the first New Year after winning the World Cup. And their kids were SOoooo adorable. He had a blast every time he came over to visit his former schoolmates, just playing with the kids and giving their parents a break from their rambunctious behaviour.**

**He noticed the food was finally done and began to eat. It was a big comfort that Auntie here kept a table special for him. Now that he was somewhat of a sports hero in Japan – he was still playing professionally, although at the ripe old age of 30, he was thinking he might want to retire. He could always go home and go into the family business. His mom would love that.**

**Briefly he remembered Mizuki standing up for him to his mom, and his mom saying she'd disown him. She never actually did, but he honestly believed that she was going to cut him off after high school. Yet, when he made the Japanese team for the World Cup, she had been right there saying, "I always knew you could do it!" He grinned.**

**As he smiled, he heard the murmurs of a table of girls. They all were making swooning and giggling noises. That brought an abrupt end to his smile. He really could have done without all the fame. Fame kept him isolated. **

**It had privileges, of course. Like tables reserved for him at his favorite restaurant. Yeah, this one held a table for him even before he got famous, but afterwards, as their business expanded – seems a certain female sports reporter had written that this was one of his all-time favorite restaurants, and the restaurant had to expand to take care of all the new patrons – they not only held him a table, but they kept it mostly screened off – so that he'd be able to eat in peace. And, truth be told, so they could still serve him, yet be able to keep the peace in the restaurant so they could serve their other customers.**

**In order to keep the peace, he had to be isolated all the time. He had his few friends, who were precious to him, but that was it. He never dated.**

**He glanced over at the gigglers, and they broke out in an all new bout of titters. **

**No. Dating was out of the question. Anyone who would be interested in dating him, was most likely going to be interested in "Football Star Nakatsu Shuichi", not the real Nakatsu Shuichi. **

**He'd dated a couple times when he first went professional – before he became a household name. But… He knew it was unrealistic, but… None of the girls could ever even come close to comparing to Mizuki, and the way SHE used to make him feel.**

**Maybe after he retired, after his 15 minutes of fame (which in his case appeared to be more like 10 years of fame) were up, he'd find someone. He smiled sadly as the waitress brought him his fried noodles. That'd be nice. To find someone. **

**He ate the rest of his meal in silence, noticing that all the girls at the one table he could see had left – except one.**

**XXX END SCENE XXX**

**She'd been eating at this restaurant every chance she got. Ever since she'd started going to St. Blossoms Academy. **

**She was glad when the group of classmates who had come with her to find out why she liked this restaurant so much finally left to go off on a shopping binge. She didn't enjoy shopping that much, and didn't really need anything, so she'd politely declined and said she wanted to do a bit more writing there at the restaurant before she went back to her dorm room. Her classmates smiled at her – they didn't really hold it against her. She was well regarded, but she wasn't really a people person. They understood that and accepted her. **

**Her whole life, she'd been a bit shy and moody. It took a lot for her to warm up to anyone. Once she did, they found her strong and reliable. But still, in her world, there was her mom and dad, her older brother, and her older sister. Not too many other people stuck around to make an impact.**

**And of course, her older brother was soooo popular. In high school, he was high jump champion of Japan. He'd broken all high school records up to that point, and graduated champion. The next year, his records were all broken by a 2nd year in Hokkaido, but still… And then he made the Olympic team. Unfortunately, he did not medal. He was beat out by his arch rival from high school, who had taken another hiatus – apparently for personal reasons – during the final year of high school, but had come back with a vengeance.**

**And her older sister was totally boy crazy. She'd developed early, and had boys eating out of the palm of her hand almost her whole life. Who would have thought she'd end up a pre-med student? **

**Kyoumi shook her head and smiled. She loved her family. And she was happy with the friends she did have, but she was glad to see them leave.**

**She was also a bit glad that none of her classmates knew the real reason why she ate here every time she didn't have plans for dinner – or why she'd been glaring at them every time they'd started tittering at the celebrity presence that they could only see from her table.**

**She looked over at that table and thanked the gods that she'd decided to start coming here two years ago. Now, she was something of a fixture and the Auntie who ran the place had taken to saving this very table just for her. A year and a half of visiting regularly, at least once a week, every week, and Auntie O decided that a customer that regular deserved her own spot. So now, again thank KAMI, every time she ate here, alone or with friends, she got her VERY special table: A table that was the ONLY one within view of the table reserved for football star Nakatsu Shuichi.**

**That was the real reason she'd started coming here. Yes, the food here was really quite good once you acquired a taste for it, but the reality was that she'd never even TRIED okonomiyaki, she'd never even CONSIDERED it, until she read that article, "What's HOT!"**

"**What's hot? Teppanyaki, according to Tokyo's sexiest footballer. That's right, Nakatsu Shuichi tells me that his favorite dish is that spicy grill from the south. 'When I'm eating really good Teppanyaki,' he said, gracing this reporter with his famous, heart-melting smile, 'it just makes me feel like I'm home again.' Wouldn't you know that the man famous for his fiery spirit on the field would go for spicy food?**

"**And there are several places that he frequents on a regular basis – for those readers who like to star-watch. Topping the list is Auntie O's, located just down the street from Ohsaka Gakuen – where Shuichi attended high school. 'Whenever I'm in town, I always stop by to visit Auntie. She's got the best Teppanyaki outside of Osaka. Plus… I've got a lot of memories there.' And for those who prefer a more urban scene, you can try Hot Plate in downtown Tokyo – where you'll find the World Cup champ dining at least once a week…"**

**Truth be told, she did feel a little silly when she first started coming here. Such a silly fan girl. She reached down and touched the striped armband on her left wrist. She smiled. When it came right down to it, she didn't really care how silly she was.**

**She fingered the repair work on the band, lightly tracing her delicate stitching.**

**Her mother had tried to throw the band away once, claiming it was old and dirty. After an hour digging through the garbage, scattering it all over the driveway, she found the filthy band and thrust it on her wrist without even washing it. Then, she cleaned up the mess, rebagging all the trash, and periodically casting dirty glances at her mother. When she was done, she went inside and carefully hand washed the old band.**

**She hadn't spoken to her mother for a week after that. In repentance, her mother presented Kyoumi with some embroidery thread and showed her how to repair the thing. And she promised NEVER to bug the girl about the band again.**

**It was her most prized passion, given to her by the man who had held her heart for the past 14 years. The only man she ever dreamed about. The man who was the sole reason she loved Teppanyaki. The man who had her so tied in knots that she was now a nervous wreck.**

**The man who was sitting at the next table over, eating with such a sad look on his face.**

**Two years of eating at this restaurant, hoping for a chance to meet him again. And now…**

**She stood up, took the armband off her wrist and quietly began the trek over to his table, to see if… To see if.**

**XXX END SCENE XXX**

**It was really strange. The girl reminded him of something… For some reason, he kept thinking about Mizuki and the beach when he looked at this girl. **

**And that was really odd. Because the girl looked nothing like Mizuki. Mizuki was lean and athletic. This girl was curvy – very curvy in all the right places. Mizuki had short hair. This girl had hair so long that even braided, it looked like she might accidentally sit on it. Mizuki was outgoing and not at all shy. But this girl seemed to be quiet yet decisive. There was really nothing alike about the two at all.**

**He noticed her fingering something on her wrist. Then she got a wistful look on her face. With a look of determination, she pushed back from the table and stood up. And turned toward his table.**

**She nodded at Auntie, who smiled at her as she started back toward Shuichi's table. And that was odd, too. Auntie protected him from all the odd – and some of them were VERY odd – fans who sought him out wherever he was. But Auntie just smiled at the girl and winked. He saw Auntie wink at the girl.**

**This could only mean trouble.**

**She stopped in front of his table and bowed. And paused. Then, he saw her take a deep breath and let it out. Finally, she looked him in the eye.**

"**You probably don't remember me…"**

'**Remember her? You mean I KNOW her from somewhere?' he thought frantically.**

"…**but… I… I've been holding on to this for you. You told me that I should give it back the next time we met. But… I never saw you again, and I think it's about time I gave it back to you." She held out the worn armband. 14 years of wear. 14 years of stitching and repair. **

**He took the armband and looked at it. His mind flashed back to his summer at the beach house with Sano and Ashiya. He put his hand to his head, as he remembered a three-year old girl holding desperately onto his hair, unwilling to let him go – as if she instinctively knew she'd never see him again if she did. He looked at her in shock. He quietly muttered her name, "Kyoumi?" but she didn't seem to hear him.**

"**I'm sorry, the color's a little faded. And I've had to repair it a lot. Maybe you didn't mean for me to actually wear it…" She was obviously trying to apologize for not keeping it in better shape. **

"**Kyoumi? Kagurazaka Kyoumi!" he asked again, a little louder, and she gasped!**

'**He… He remembers me!' she wanted to smile at that, but she felt like she was going to cry. She nodded at him, gave a quick smile, then panicked and turned to run out of the restaurant.**

"**Oh my god! Kyoumi-chan!" He quickly stood up and embraced her in a hug before she could get two steps into her flight. She thought, 'God, let me die right now, and I'll be happy.' **

**But God had plans beyond that for her.**

**He swung her in a circle. "OH MY GOD! Kyoumi-chan!" He started to laugh! "You're all grown up!" He set her down and smiled at her – it was the smile that had broken thousands of fans' hearts.**

"**And attending St. Blossoms, I see!**

"**Please, join me for dinner. How the hell have you been?" He gushed enthusiasm at her, and she was blushing so red, she thought she must match a fire hydrant. Her knees felt like they might give out at any second, so she sat at the table across from him so that he wouldn't notice her nerves.**

"**Auntie!" he called, then turned back to the girl. "Have you already eaten? Do you want some tea or juice? Anything you want! It's my treat!" She smiled at him and Auntie O brough Kyoumi a refill of her tea, a plate, a spatula, and some chopsticks, and asked her what she'd like to eat.**

**As they were talking, Nakatsu sat back and stared at the girl bemusedly. 'Imaging meeting little Kyoumi-chan at a place like this!' He could really see the little girl she had been – in a way she hadn't changed at all. Except… 'But she sure isn't little any more!' he thought as he found his eyes attracted to her soft curves. 'C or D… What the!' He closed his eyes quickly and mentally smacked himself hard across the head. Then he mentally kicked himself for good measure. 'This is KYOUMI-chan! You can't be thinking like that!'**

**He opened his eyes to peet at her again as Auntie walked away to fill the girl's order. 'She sure is beautiful though. Who would ever have thought that Kagurazaka's baby sister would turn out so HOT!' He shook his head to clear it and repeated like a litany, "Not hot. No no no. Not hot. KYOUMI!'**

"**So!" He was startled at his voice squeaking and cleared his throat. "How long has it been?" He smiled at her again.**

"**F- fourteen years," she replied. "Plus a few months."**

"**THAT long, huh? So you're… seventeen now?"**

"**Eighteen. It… my birthday was last month."**

"**Eighteen, huh? You're all grown up!" He blushed as he realized the implication of what he'd said, and shoved some food in his mouth to cover it up. "I see you're going to St. Blossom's. How do you like it?"**

**She gave a little shrug and said, "It's okay." **

"**Just okay? But… Eh, it's none of my business." He took a bite of his food, straight from the spatula, and she smiled. 'He really does eat straight off the spatula – just like the article said.'**

"**What's none of your business?" she asked politely.**

**He cocked his head at her and said, "Well… your brother went to school at a public school in Tokyo – so that means you live near Tokyo. Isn't… Isn't this a bit far away for you to be going to school?"**

**She blushed and looked down at her tea.**

"**You don't have to answer," he rushed to ease her discomfort. "Like I said, it's really none of my business."**

**She looked up and saw his face – he was trying so hard to make her feel better. "It's okay. I just… I kinda picked this school and talked my parents into letting me go there."**

**Sensing she would feel uncomfortable going into further detail, he said, "Oh! Well, I have to say it makes sense that you'd go there. St. Blossoms is really known for it's beautiful students-"**

**He cut himself off as he realized what he was saying. She stared at him, her eyes wide. 'He thinks I'm beautiful?' She felt her heart beat faster. **

**Frantically he looked around for some inspiration on how to change the subject – to hide what he'd just said. His eyes fell on the armband, which was resting now on the table – almost in a place of honor.**

**Gently he picked it up. "I… can't believe you still have this." A look of wonder and warmth lit his face as he looked back at her. His fingers on the band lightly touched the delicate repair work she'd done on it. "You must have put a lot of effort into keeping it… wearable."**

**She looked up at him shyly. "I'd promised to keep it for you. I don't break promises." She glanced away, as she quietly said, "I… probably shouldn't have… I probably should have just kept it in… a drawer. Then it wouldn't have gotten so worn." She turned back to face him directly. "I hope you don't mind that I wore it every day!" she blurted out.**

**He sat back, up straight, his surprise apparent. "Why would you want to wear it every day?"**

**Her embarrassment was now total. But there was no escaping it. And deep down, she knew this would eventually come out. "I… To remember," her voice was quiet, but steady. "So I would always remember you, and how nice you were to me."**

**This was unexpected. Nakatsu felt his heart warm to her. **

"**You know, that whole summer, I thought you hated me," he quietly told her, and her jaw dropped in shock.**

"**You did!"**

**The famous Nakatsu-smile glowed at her. "Well, you were only three. I shouldn't have taken it so personally. But… you kept doing things… I thought… It doesn't matter."**

**She leaned forward and put both hands flat on the table. "It matters to me!" The anger in her voice startled him. "I… What did I do? You thought I… It matters to me!"**

"**It was… just silly things." The look on her face clearly indicated that this would not be dropped. "When I first met you, I asked you how old you were and you held up three fingers and jammed two of them up my nose." Her hands covered her mouth and she pulled away from him, aghast. "When I was showing you how to do a water pistol, you grabbed the hose that was filling the wading pool and soaked me." Her eyes got bigger. "But looking back on it, that was really cute! I mean, you were just frustrated and found an easier solution.**

"**And you were only three, so you probably were just repeating something your brother said when you called me a homo."**

**Her hands moved to completely hide her face from him. "I… I don't remember any of that," she said in a tiny voice.**

"**Hey, it's okay!" he was a little amused at her reaction, and a little confused by it. "At the end of the summer I understood. God, you were so sweet. I thought you were just taking one more chance to pick on me when your brother held you up to say goodbye and you grabbed and pulled on my hair, but then you started crying. You just didn't want to leave. It was…" he looked at the grown up woman in front of him and felt weird about relating that experience with this one, "adorable."**

**She peeked out from her fingers at him and saw him smiling at her. Her hands slowly dropped to her lap, and her eyes shone with the memory. "That's when…"**

"**Yup. That's when I gave you this." Cocking his head at her again, he said, "But I don't understand. If you don't remember any of that summer, why did you keep this? You said that you'd promised to return it. You did, but if you don't remember – why should you? You were only three. But still-"**

**Interrupting his rambling: "I remember that summer. I just remember it differently." Her voice was soft, but filled with some emotion he couldn't name. "I remember that this boy with funny yellow hair had on shoes just like my big brother. I remember that he was the only one at that place who looked me in the face and talked TO me, not AT me. I remember that boy spending all kinds of time with me – when he should have wanted to be with his friends – and making sure that I was having fun the whole time I was there." She looked him directly in the eyes. "I remember him making me laugh all summer. And I remember my brother telling me that I'd never see that boy again.**

"**I remember panicking and feeling lost, and that boy smiling at me and telling me not to cry. And giving me… something that was special to him – something he'd worn EVERY day that summer." Hands rested on her heart. "That's what I remember.**

"**I just…" here she paused and her face became uncertain again. "When I never saw you again, I just figured you… you wouldn't remember me. But I promised to return this, and I don't break promises!" Her voice was defiant and there was fire in her eyes when she looked at him again.**

'**God. She's beautiful!' He was stunned by how radiant she looked as she faced him. "You know, Kyoumi, I would never have even considered that you would even think of breaking a promise. You're not that kind of person. I just didn't expect you to remember." The spatula came to his mouth again, so that he'd have an excuse to not talk. 'I shouldn't look at her like this, but she's just so beautiful.'**

**She looked down again, shyly. "I didn't expect you to remember me, either." **

**For a few moments they ate in silence. They were both a bit embarrassed. But Nakatsu never let anything get him down for long.**

"**So I expect you graduate in March?"**

"**Yeah. I'm in my final year, so there's not a lot of classes this year. Just mostly studying for the entrance exams."**

"**I remember. Third year was when I really started doing better in school. I really got more focused on my future, so it finally seemed important. What do you plan to do after you graduate?"**

"**I – I – " She looked embarrassed. "I don't know!" she cried.**

**He instantly reached out and grasped her hand. "Hey! Hey! That's okay! You've got time! Not everyone has their decision made up for them in junior high." He began to stroke her hand, and she became mesmerized, watching his fingers stroke hers, feeling his smooth skin against her own. **

'**Really, God. You can take me now. This would be a really good note to go out on,' she thought to herself. She looked up at him, eyes dazed.**

"**I remember my friend Mizuki, she didn't decide what she wanted to do until the end of her second year, and then she had to change her whole plan when…" 'Why the hell am I talking to her about Mizuki. That's just rude!' "Whatever. That's beside the point."**

**He continued to hold her hand as he looked into her eyes. "The point is, you have time." Her eyes were so deep and brown. "You can do anything you want." So deep. "What do you like to do?"**

**Again, they sat in silence, but this time, it was filled with them looking into each others' eyes.**

**Her brain was catching on something. 'I'm not saying anything. What, what, I'm supposed to be saying something… He asked…'**

**With a start, she shook her head and said, "Wha- Um. I… I like to write." She held up her notebook – it was full of short stories she'd written.**

"**Really? That's so cool!"**

**The rest of the meal was filled with comfortable small talk. Comfortable small talk. Something she'd never had before ever, and something he only felt with a very few of his oldest friends. In his current state of fame, it was so rare it was like a precious gem.**

**As they finished eating, they both fell silent though. The meal was coming to an end. They'd have to go back to their lives, alone. Simultaneously, they sighed. Then laughed. **

**Shuichi stood up and held his hand out to her. She took it and stood. "May I… May I walk you back to your dorm?"**

**The buxom brunette smiled and nodded. Still holding hands, they walked out of the restaurant, and Auntie O beamed as they left.**

**As they neared St. Blossoms, their pace began to slow down. At the gate, Shuichi stopped and turned to her. **

"**Could I… Could I maybe read some of your stories? I promise I'll return them-"**

**She interrupted him, "You'll return them the next time we meet?" **

**He grinned at her and nodded.**

**She opened up her notebook and scribbled something in the front cover. Then she thrust the book into his hands. "I… I put my cell phone number in the front. You could… call me when you're done." Holding his hands, she took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I hope this doesn't take another 14 years. But even if it does, I'll still be waiting."**

**She quickly leaned up to give him a peck on the lips. Her intent was to kiss him quickly and then run into the school before she could get embarrassed.**

**Again, God had different plans for her.**

**The moment her lips touched his, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in, kissing her thoroughly. His tongue parted her lips, and they both felt heat pool in their centers. When they finally broke for air, he cupped her face in his hand, and she instinctively leaned into it.**

"**I have to go back to Tokyo tomorrow, Kyoumi-chan." His voice saying her name. Again, she thought, 'Okay, God. Thanks for leaving me for this. But if I can't hear him say my name again like that, please, end it now.'**

**Aloud she said, and was proud that she didn't sound sad, "I understand. You do have a career. My friends say you were pretty good last year – I don't know much about sports, so I had to ask." She looked a bit embarrassed.**

**He laughed. It was a full-out belly laugh. Free from worry, and one that showed he was truly, truly happy. Then he pulled her to him again and whispered in her ear, "But when I come back for you, I'll return your book then. Don't worry. I promise it won't be so long this time."**

**They held onto each other tightly, neither wanting to let go this time. Then they broke apart and backed away from each other, not wanting to look away. Finally, they both turned and ran away from the gate, breathing heavy.**

**XXX END SCENE XXX**

**Her friends surrounded her.**

"**YOU KISSED NAKATSU!" they shrieked at her. "WE SAW YOU!"**

**She blushed and said, "He's an old friend." And walked back to her room. **

**Her roommate, Sakura, halted her progress as she said, "He was wearing that ugly old armband that you're never without. Are you guys, like, an item?"**

**She smiled up at her friend. "I've been holding onto it for him for a long time. I finally got to give it back."**

**Sakura stood in front of her and crossed her arms, blocking Kyoumi's path. "You didn't answer my question, Kyoumi!"**

**Kyoumi shrugged, blushed, and said, "Uh… We'll find out when he returns my notebook."**

"**OH! MY! GOD! You gave him your notebook of stories! You won't let ANYONE read that!" Kyoumi shrugged and tried to push past the wiry girl she'd been living with for the past two years.**

"**You are in love with him." Sakura said quietly so that only Kyoumi could hear. When the curvy girl didn't deny it, she said loud enough for their classmates to hear, "So how long have you known him?"**

"**14 years."**

"**Wait. That's how long you've had that armband, isn't that what you told me?"**

**Kyoumi shrugged and again tried to get around the girl to go to their room. Away from all the prying eyes of their classmates. This time, her roommate let her go, and followed her to the room. They entered and closed the rest of the school out.**

"**You've been in love with him that long?"**

**Kyoumi blushed and nodded. No sense in denying it now.**

"**And what does he think about you?"**

**Kyoumi again shrugged. "He kissed me."**

**Sakura sat back and sighed in envy. "True. And you know what? For the past two years, the press has been saying that maybe he's gay, cuz he NEVER dates." She held up her hands in defense as Kyoumi glared at her. "Hey, don't get mad at me. I saw that kiss. Gay men don't kiss delectable curvy girls like you that way."**

**Kyoumi looked up at her, curiously. "What way?"**

**Laughing, Sakura leaned back and fell onto her bed. "The way that makes even people watching the kiss get hot, bothered, and expecting more."**

**As Kyoumi flushed down to her roots, Sakura said, "I'm so happy for you."**

**XXX END SCENE XXX**

**As he walked back to his hotel, he was thinking only of the beautiful brunette that he'd met all those years ago. What luck to have met her. But she was so young – should he really… didn't this make him a dirty pervert? Briefly he remembered how he'd fallen for Mizuki and refused to admit it to himself for so long. 'I'm definitely not gay.' He remembered the way the girl had felt in his arms. 'Okay. I'm a dirty pervert,' he thought with a smile. 'I just don't care, if it means I can be…' Quick flashes of all the things he'd like to do to that luscious body passed through his head, interspersed with all the things he'd just like to do with her, making a permanent impression. 'If I can be with her,' he thought as his chest heaved, and his heartrate sped up, "I just really don't care!'**

**THE END FOR NOW…**


	2. 2 Apart Again

CHAPTER 2

Nakatsu spent most of his plane trip fiddling with an old, worn and repaired armband. His fingers traced the stitching over and over. But his mind wasn't on the details of how to darn a used wrist band. He was replaying over in his head a single story, and trying to figure something out.

X X X Y X X

After returning to his room, he'd found he had too much energy to just relax and go to bed. His mind was spinning with the implications of what had happened - how his simple dinner could become the single thing he wanted to latch his hopes for the future on. But that would just be silly, right? A chance meeting with an old friend only takes people away from their previous existence and makes the sun shine more brightly in movies, in books.

The torment of his dilemma was making him feel… anxious. The amount of energy he was building up was ridiculous.

As soon as he got back to his hotel room, he changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt and headed down to the work-out room. It was empty - as one would expect at this hour of the evening - and he immediately headed toward the treadmill. Setting it with a slight incline, and setting the timer to go for ½ hour, he jumped on and began jogging.

'God, she's so beautiful,' he thought. 'Was she really interested in me?' He remembered the way she kissed him, the soft velvet of her lips, like the petals of a rose brushing against his, until he pulled her in more deeply. Then he had plundered her mouth, and she had reciprocated, right?

He forced himself further into the memory. Yes. She had definitely reciprocated. He moaned and realized he would not be able to complete this workout if he kept thinking along that line. He forced himself to think of sour milk and the one time he'd helped his dad with a house repair and hit his thumb with the hammer. That helped with his problem.

'Okay. So. I want her. I'm a complete hentai. This is even worse than when I was gay. Well, I wasn't REALLY gay...

'Mizuki.' He thought of his dear friend and laughed. 'You had me fooled. Then again, maybe you didn't…' His smile grew. 'What on earth would you say to me now? You'd probably tell me how romantic Kyoumi must be to have held onto that wristband for 14 years. And you'd probably scold me for having forgotten about her for so long. They called me Lolita-killer… And now…

'Man. Who'd have thought? Kagurazaka's little sister. Oh, god! If I were to marry her, he'd be my brother-in-law.' He groaned aloud at the thought.

In his head, he heard a voice that sounded like Sano. "Are you already thinking of marrying her? You'll never catch up to me, you know." The voice laughed at him and continued, "But it sounds like you're serious about this. Just take it slow, and make sure - get to know each other. Read some of her stories. And make sure she knows YOU - not just the you from 14 years ago. You've got," the voice changed to his own in his head, 'a long way to go yet.'

XXX END SCENE XXX

After his workout, he went back to his room to take a bath and relax before going to bed. As the tub filled, he stripped and tossed his dirtied clothes into the laundry bag for the return trip home. On the way back into the bathroom, the story journal from Kyoumi caught his eye. In a flash, he snagged it. When the bath was ready for him, he settled into the tub, opened the book and, relaxing into the soothing heat, he began to read.

Rather than starting at the beginning and moving on, he flipped through the book quickly.

He stopped on a story entitled, "The Homecoming"

_Suki silently strolled beside them, praying that they'd forget she was there. But she remained as unlucky as she'd ever been. _

"_Suki, you have to try on this dress. It's perfect for you!" Ani was holding out a bright aqua, frilled dress. The scooped neck would display more than she was comfortable with, and the length of the frock was fashionably short._

"_Thanks, Ani, but I think that would look much better on you." Her attempt to distract her sister with praise failed._

"_Nonsense!" her mother exclaimed. "It's about time you started to pay attention to fashion. You have the perfect figure - your breasts are fuller than your sister's, and you have a perfect tiny waist. You need to show it off, not hide!"_

_Ani nodded with a half-smile, half-grimace. "And don't think it doesn't piss me off that my little sister is better endowed than me! So get in there and try the dress on."_

_Accepting defeat, she took the dress and headed for the fitting room. Door closed, shoes kicked off, she pulled her sweater over her head and slid out of her jeans. She looked in the mirror at her reflection as she stood in her plain white underwear and bra. _

_Her hated "assets" had developed early - much as her sister's had. But while her sister enjoyed them, flaunted them, and used them to convince the boys in her class to treat her as if she was special, Suki found them to be a pain in the ass. How could you ever know whether someone cared about you for real when you had large breasts? _

_She looked up at her hated cupie-doll face - oval shaped with full lips. Her whole life people had been telling her how beautiful she was. She was sick of it. She had a brain. She was smart. She genuinely cared about people. Why didn't anyone ever think that was worthy of praise? Sticking her tongue out at her reflection, she grabbed the dress and slid it on. _

_It really did look good on her. It hugged her curves in all the right places. And it was age-appropriate. She looked like a bubbly 15 year old high-school girl. 'Damn,' she thought. 'Now Mom'll make me get it.'_

_She trudged out of the fitting room and her mom smiled and nodded. Ami grimaced fiercely and muttered, "That settles it. I'm never going to be able to bring a boyfriend home until you go away to college." Then she smiled to take the sting out of the words._

_Suki looked at her mother pleadingly. "You hate it, don't you?" she said. Suki looked down guiltily. Sighing, her mother continued, "Go take it off. We'll see if we can find something else. But if we don't find a dress that we all can agree on for you, you're getting it. And you'll wear it if I have to force you into it."_

_They found nothing else that day, so her mom bought the dress. And the next day, Suki grudgingly put it on and trudged downstairs. There wasn't extra time. They had to go._

_The airport terminal was packed. College students were coming home. Suddenly, she saw him and started jumping up and down and waving like a lunatic. "Ryuho! Over here!"_

"_Suki! Stand still. That is not ladylike behaviour!" her father scolded. She realized her breasts were jiggling almost out of the top, and her skirt had probably been flouncing higher than she'd have wanted. Flushing in embarassment, she stopped jumping and just continued waving her arm._

_Her brother came toward the family - a college graduate at last, and accepted into a law firm, pending passing the bar examination. She was so proud of him she wanted to burst._

_He bowed to his father, kissed his mother on the cheek and slugged Ami in the arm. Then he bent down and picked Suki up and began to spin her._

_She laughed and hugged him back. _

_Then he whispered in her ear, "I hate that dress, kiddo." And kissed her on the cheek. _

"_Me, too," she replied and kissed him back._

_The welcome home dinner was fabulous, and held at a 5-star restaurant. The whole household was celebrating the son's success. But Suki and Ryuho held political debates through most of it. Ryuho would state something and Suki would take the opposing point of view - just for the debate. Or Suki would state something and Ryuho would argue against her. The funny thing is, neither one of them really held to the opinions they were arguing. It was just fun to see the other person have to intelligently defend their statement._

_Finally, their father said, "Enough with the debate! Can't we just enjoy a meal without you two fighting?"_

_Suki and Ryuho looked at each other, confused. Fighting? They weren't fighting. They were just having fun. They smiled at each other, and ate for a while in silence._

_After dinner, after they'd driven home, Ryuho picked up his sister again, swinging her into a big bear hug. He set her down, and they sat on the porch, looking out at the garden. The irises were in bloom. He picked one and bonked her on the nose with it._

"_I really missed you, kiddo." She smiled back at him._

"_I missed you, too, dummy." He knuckled her on the head._

"_Seriously, though, I hate that dress."_

"_Mom picked it just for you."_

_He humphed. "Figures. It makes you look like…" He cut himself off. She looked at him puzzled. When he didn't respond, she elbowed him in the stomach. _

"_Oof!" He turned to look at her and realized she wasn't going to let it go. "You look like you're ready for… some other guy to take you away." He frowned and looked away. "And when you go off and get married, then who am I gonna have to debate?_

"_Besides. You're too smart to look that gorgeous."_

_She smiled when she realized that she could pull this dress out when she needed to piss him off. "Right back atcha, dummy!" She was really glad he was home._

_X_

Nakatsu smiled and turned the page. These stories were obviously incredibly personal. He was touched that she trusted him with it. Looking down, he continued to read the next story, which she had titled The End of Childhood.

_The stars shone down on me that night. I'd like to say that they smiled. But stars are in the depth of space - they only know how to be cold. _

_Still I can't deny that it was the stars in her eyes that drew me to her that night._

_We'd been friends since I was a child. Best friends. We knew each other better than anyone. So I should have been able to anticipate it. That things would change. After all, we weren't children anymore._

_In 4th grade, her family moved away - her father's work. I was inconsolable. But she told me she'd be back. She swore it. She gave me her best doll as a gift when she left. "I'll give it back to you when I see you again," I exclaimed. She laughed and said, "Then it wouldn't be a gift. No, Miki. I want you to keep it. It's yours for as long as you want it. It will remind you of me."_

"_Oh! What can I give you to remind you of me?" I asked and she laughed again. "I will never need anything to remind me of you. You're in here," she tapped her heart._

_I took that doll with me everywhere after that. It made me feel like Su was with me. And I didn't feel so alone. Even though I was teased mercilessly, "If you love that doll so much, why don't you marry it?" the doll never left my side._

_I entered 5th grade. Then 6th, where I moved to middle school. And still, the doll went wherever I did. My parents begged me to leave it home. "You're growing up," they said. "It's time to move beyond childish things." But I needed her with me. And the doll was all I had. And I was so desperately afraid that she wouldn't keep her word - that she'd never come back._

_By 7th grade, I kept the doll in my backpack. The teasing at school had just gotten too much. When I think back on it, it was probably pretty silly of me to feel like that was a betrayal to her. For some reason it felt like I was ashamed of Su. But I never left the doll home. It always went with me._

_In 9th grade, she came back. Her dad's job moved back to town, and they followed it. Once Su came back, the doll probably should have stayed on my shelf. But I'd gotten used to it being in my bag._

_I guess she heard the rumors at school about me - about the doll. She heard about the teasing. One night, after we'd stayed late for a swim meet, she asked me to go for a walk with her. I grabbed my bag and she took me down a narrow path to a park. By the time we got there, it was dark. _

_The stars were shining down on me - on us. _

_We sat in the swings and idly went to and fro. Then she stood and walked in front of me to my book bag. I said nothing as she reached in and pulled out the old doll._

"_You kept it all this time, Miki?" I nodded. I felt embarrassed for some reason. "I heard you wouldn't go anywhere without that doll." I nodded again. "Why?"_

"_I missed you," I replied. _

"_I missed you, too - and I didn't have a doll," she said. Still holding the doll, she walked back to the swing and sat in it again. "Why do you still have it with you, Miki?"_

_I looked down at the ground. I couldn't really say. I didn't know myself. _

_She stood again and walked in front of me. I stopped my swing so that I didn't hit her. "Please look at me," she said. I looked up. The stars were shining in her eyes. "Don't you think it's time you gave up childish things?" _

_I was hurt by this. Was she… Didn't she want to be friends with me anymore?_

_Then I noticed. The stars. Calling me. "I'm here now," she said. "Do you really need this doll anymore?" The stars in her eyes. I shook my head no, and she threw the doll over her shoulder and away. With that same hand, she allowed her soft fingers to brush along the cut of my chin._

_That's when it all changed._

_I kissed her deeply. And she kissed me back. She was right. The time for childish things was done._

'Damn!' his thoughts were warring within him. 'She's really good. Her stories are so… deep.' He looked down at his feet and saw they were getting pruny. Carefully setting the book where it wouldn't get wet, he sat up more fully and scrubbed himself clean, rinsed off, then allowed the tub to drain as he toweled off.

It would have been good to read more, but he wanted to savor her stories. Immerse himself in them. Really learn who she was - and make sure that she was what he really wanted. He climbed into bed, and fell asleep quickly.

XX XY XX XY

His fingers kept fiddling over the stitches. 'Su. Is that supposed to be short for Nakatsu? Or am I reading too much into this - maybe it wasn't about me at all…'

He looked at the stitching. 'But the whole giving something to remember her by… And that's actually different from us, after all, I told her to just hold onto this for me. Su in the story told Miki that it was a gift. Does that mean she really wanted to keep this?' He shook the band gently.

'But then again, at the end, when they were together, it got thrown away. Was… Did she write this in hopes of us meeting - or because she thought we never would meet again.

'And Miki - that could be a boy or a girl. The only clue was that Miki got teased for having a doll, so that would imply a boy, but in 4th grade it could be that they all thought a girl should be too old for a doll. But she wrote that the teasing about childish stuff doesn't come 'til middle school. So does that mean Miki was a boy? Or were the girls just mean? Girls ARE awfully mean to each other.'

He turned the wristband in his hand like a catholic using prayer beads.

'Kyoumi, what were you thinking? Does this mean you like girls? Nah, I shouldn't worry about that. I mean, when I was her age, I thought I was gay because of…

"OH! Kagurazaka! He probably told her about me being gay - but he met Mizuki as Sano's wife at the Olympics, so he knows she's a girl now. But if he told Kyoumi that I was gay…

'Do girls kiss gay men like she kissed me?

'Am I being horribly self-centered thinking she wrote this about me? I mean, it could be based on something else. Or it could be completely fictional.

'But she said she would wait another 14 years for me. Has she really been waiting for me 14 years? Does she have any interest in me at all? Does that make her a stalker?

'But if she's a stalker, then I'm a pervert! I mean, she is so much younger than me. And, GOD, she's beautiful - but I bet she doesn't want to hear that. She'd rather hear she's smart. She IS smart. Otherwise I wouldn't be so worked up by her stories… I wonder what she'd doing right now… What she's thinking…'

His thoughts were worried, but for some reason, he was smiling. The stewardesses were big fans and swooned, but he was too intent on his thoughts to even notice.

XX XY XX XY XX XX XX XY

She went to bed feeling naked and vulnerable. No wristband under her pillow. No notebook on her nightstand. And the man she'd been fantasizing about - had she really been fantasizing? Yes. She had to be honest. She'd fantasized. He had her notebook now. Her stories. All her stories about her family, her life, her perspective on things. All her random and stray thoughts. All the funny stories she had written just for fun. They were all in his hands now. He held her heart now.

He'd kissed her. Oh, god, how he'd kissed her. Just thinking about it made her insides turn to goo. She'd dreamed about him for so long - how nice he had been to her. She knew that her fantasies about him were just that - fantasies. She'd only been 3 when he met her. If he had ever thought about her as other than just a cute kid, he'd have to be a sicko.

She'd taken a class on basic psychology. She'd read of classic cases like hers - where a young woman had met someone early in life for a short period of time who had made a huge impact for one reason or another. In most of these cases, the person was some sort of authority figure - like a teacher, a preacher, or the father or brother of a friend. These cases would show that the young women had developed an unnatural affection for the person. The analysis was that the women felt lonely, and they had remembered the old kindness and blown it up into unrealistic proportions - trading reality for a fantasy world, where the person who had shown her the unwarranted kindness became the epitome of the perfect man, the sum of all that was missing from their lives.

She'd studied these cases furiously as a 1st year. Was that really her? Was she living in a fantasy world? Eventually, she had convinced herself that it couldn't be. Or at least not entirely. Because she harbored no belief whatsoever that he felt the same way about her. And she'd had a very realistic view of what would have been likely to happen when they met up again:

She'd come up to him and present him with the band. He'd say, "Who are you?" She'd remind him of the time they'd spent together. He'd say, "Oh. Well, gee. Thanks for keeping it for me." And then he'd leave. And once she'd seen first-hand that there could never be anything between them, she'd meet some other guy, who wouldn't break her heart, but who would never mean as much to her as HE had all those years and she'd live a placid and normal life.

And that was fully what she had expected to happen when she went over to his table. That's really why she'd been so nervous: because she was, in a very real sense, going over there to say goodbye to childish things. Of course, there was still a part of her that believed in fairy tales, that wished he'd see her and instantly feel a connection, fall in love. Yet she knew that was just a pipe dream. She walked to his table ready to say goodbye to that pipe dream for good.

But that wasn't what had happened.

And now, she had no idea what to expect from life anymore. She really had no idea at all. He'd picked her up and spun her. As soon as he said her name. He remembered her. He'd been happy to see her. That wasn't what was supposed to happen. He'd held her hand, stroked it. Been interested in her likes and dislikes. Holding hands, he'd walked her back to her dorm. Asked to read some of her stories. And then, when she went to kiss him goodbye - heaven help her, he'd kissed her. He'd said he would come for her.

None of that was supposed to happen. What should she think about all of this?

On her top bunk, she stifled a moan. Sakura slept lightly and had really good hearing. The ache inside her begged to be relieved. And it wouldn't have been the first time she'd pleasured herself while thinking of Nakatsu. But now, there was a level of reality to it that unnerved her, and she knew she wouldn't be able to do that again - not until she knew if anything real was happening or not. Otherwise, she might lose the line between fantasy and reality. And reality made the ache so much deeper than any she'd ever felt. Rolling onto her side and curling into a ball, she hugged her pillow. No release tonight from this sweet torment. None until he called her again.

And no notebook to write in so that she could distract herself until she fell asleep. She laid on her back again and started to count backwards from 10,000 by threes. That should occupy her mind and exhaust her into sleep.

XX XY XX XY XX XY

"Girl, you look like you haven't slept in a week!" Sakura exclaimed as Kyoumi made her way out of the bathroom to get ready for breakfast. Kyoumi just shrugged. "Had a tough time falling asleep, huh? Well, I don't blame you."

As she finished with getting dressed and putting barrettes in her hair, she grabbed her book bag, and reached up to her nightstand. Settling to the floor empty handed, her face spoke volumes.

"Old habits die hard, eh?" Sakura teased.

Kyoumi gave a half-grin and shrugged, "Yeah. It's not like I forgot I gave it to him, it's just…"

"Old habits die hard," they chorused.

"Well, let's get some coffee in you so you don't fall asleep in Auntie Haruka's class."

"If she hears you call her that, you'll get detention, you know. She's only 34."

"Well, if she wasn't such a boring fuddy-duddy as a teacher, I wouldn't call her that."

The two made their way to breakfast. With no food in her system, nor caffeine pumping through her veins, she felt a bit distracted. Almost giddy. Still, she had to be ready to handle the incessant questions from the classmates that Sakura had shut the door on the night before.

"Oh, no! You two are NOT going to go off to a private table and hide from the rest of us!" Naoko yelled at them as they sat down at a corner table with their trays. "Get your butts over here and SPILL!"

"Yeah," Hisa agreed, skootching over to one side to make some additional room. "You can't keep this secret from us. We've been fans of Nakatsu Shuichi forEVER, and you don't even WATCH football!" The other girls at the table nodded fervently.

Sakura turned to look at Kyoumi, who was grimacing. The girl sighed, shrugged, and Sakura followed her to the table. Kyoumi sat to the right of Hisa, who was across from Naoko, in the space Hisa had made for her. There wasn't enough room for Sakura left between Kyoumi and Nyoko, Naoko's twin sister, so she pushed in between Naoko and Midori on the other side of the table. That way, she could be directly across from Kyoumi and provide support.

"Well?" Naoko demanded. The others were focused intently on Kyoumi, who took a deep breath, took a bite of fish then a sip of black coffee, and looked around the table at them all.

"What is it that you want to know?" she asked.

"You kissed Nakatsu!" Hisa exclaimed. She was almost shaking. "How! Why!" If it hadn't been such a tough night, Kyoumi might have had a hard time not laughing as the girl sputtered out her questions.

Calmly, she took another bite, another sip, and took turns catching each of their eyes, "So you want me to kiss and tell, huh? Well, I can tell you this. I've known Nakatsu Shuichi since I was three years old. The last time we met, he gave me his armband as a promise that we'd meet again someday, and I promised I'd return it when that day came.

"Yesterday was that day. I was very happy to see him again."

Naoko and Hisa scowled, but Nyoko smiled subtly. "Apparently," she said softly. Kyoumi blushed just a little, but other than that did not register that she'd heard the twin's comment. Instead, she busied herself eating.

"So," Midori's quiet voice quickly had everyone's attention, "are you two a couple?"

"A couple of what?" Sakura quipped, but Naoko snapped back.

"You know. A couple. Dating. Don't be anymore of a pain in the ass than you have to be Sakura!"

"Well?" Hisa and Nyoko chimed in together - Hisa voice exasperated and Nyoko's genuinely curious.

Kyoumi finished her breakfast, swallowed her last bite and looked up at Sakura. "That remains to be seen," she said.

Rolling her eyes, Naoko humphed. But Midori quietly asked another question, "But you love him, don't you? That's why you gave him your stories."

The other girls turned in shock to Midori, so they didn't see Kyoumi nod her head just once in affirmation. They just saw Midori smile quietly, knowingly. When they turned back to Kyoumi, she was drinking the remainder of her coffee and gathering up her tray so that she could go to her first class.

X

She only had two classes that day, and they went by quickly. After that, Sakura dragged her off for lunch. They ate at a little beef bowl place.

After they'd placed their orders and sat at the counter next to each other, Sakura placed a little wrapped package on the table - about 5" x 6" x 1" in size. "I got you a pre-sent!" she sing-songed.

"Aw, Sakura! You got me a present? What for?"

"Just open it," she rolled her eyes and tossed her head.

Tearing off the paper, she saw a little leather journal. "Oh!" She flipped through the book and saw an inscription in the front: "To my dear friend Kyoumi, For the next chapter of your story. Love, Sakura"

"I know you're probably climbing the walls right now. For as long as I've known you, whenever you've had something on your mind, or something you were worried about, your only real relief was writing. And it's only been what?" she looked at her watch, "Seventeen hours since you've been without your notebook? And I'd say, 17 hours of the most stressful, worrisome hours of your life. So write something. Maybe someday, you'll publish, and I'll actually get a chance to read it!"

Setting the book down on the table gently, Kyoumi looked up at Sakura with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What? Should I have gotten you a pen, too? I didn't think you'd given that away, too-" She was interrupted as her voluptuous roommate almost tackled her in a bear hug, continuing to cry on her shoulder.

Sakura patted the girl's back and felt her own tears springing up. In the three years they'd been roommates, Kyoumi had never, EVER, expressed this kind of emotion to her. She'd understood. Her roommate was just not that kind of girl. She didn't wear her heart on her sleeve - instead, she hid it in her stories. But she never shared those stories with anyone, so you had to really pay attention to see through to what she was feeling. They talked a lot, and Kyoumi was very sweet and caring, but not prone to any kind of emotional outbursts ever - except when she was mad at herself. But she usually was quietly supportive of others - in a way that no one else was.

After about 30 seconds of both girls crying, and the boy behind the counter staring, soaking it up for wet dreams that would last him for the next 5 years, Kyoumi pulled back apologetically. "Thank you for the gift, Sakura," she said quietly, her head bowed.

One hand wiping the tears from her eyes, she lightly punched her roommate in the shoulder. "Yeah. I love you, too," she said. Kyoumi looked up to a grinning, red-eyed Sakura and found herself smiling in return. At that moment, the counter boy placed the beef bowls in front of the girls, smirking like a moron, but the girls didn't notice as they dug in.

X

The rest of the day went by in a whirlwind of writing. Sakura brought dinner back to their room so that Kyoumi could continue writing uninterrupted. She smiled as she cleared away the dishes. 'God, I hope someday she lets me read SOMEthing!'

XX XY XX XY XX XY


	3. 3 One Step Closer To Home

Chapter 3

Nakatsu exited the plane and made his way back to his apartment, dropped off his stuff, then headed back to the field for practice. The physical exertion distracted him from his thoughts - the new team members were energetic, and quite talented. They kept him running to keep up.

Taking a break, he looked out at his team as they ran exercises, trading the ball off back and forth across the field. They flowed like water downstream, predicting each others' movements, carefully threading the ball through each other toward the goal. 'What a great team,' he thought watching them. He saw a couple of minor errors, but knew the coach was watching, would advise the players of their mistakes and make them run the exercise again until they got it right.

While he was watching, the coach came up beside him and patted his shoulder. "So what do you think, Shuichi? How's our team looking this year?"

Without even looking at the man next to him, he responded, "I think we have a chance at the world cup again. Kisho seems to be a natural leader on the field. But I think we might want to work with Jiro a bit - he seems to have a hard time when he needs to pass toward his left. A few weeks of exercise on that, though, and I know he'll overcome it. And that seems to be the weakest point of the team."

The coach chuckled, "You looking to take away my job?"

Nakatsu looked at the coach startled. Then, he made a decision. "Coach, I think we should have a talk."

Looking him up and down, the coach nodded and said, "Hm. Meet me in my office in 5." Then he turned toward the field and blew his whistle. "Okay, everyone, 10 laps, stretches, then hit the showers! Practice starts tomorrow at 9. Nice hustle today." He blew his whistle to start them on their laps.

X

He held a sealed envelope in one hand and the phone in the other. He could hear the ringing on the far end, and counted the rings while he waited for an answer. '3… What the hell am I doing? Will they want me to come home or - 4… will they no longer need me? I just-'

"Moshi moshi."

"Hi, mom."

"Shuichi! What's wrong?"

"Mom, why does there have to be something wrong? Can't I just call you to talk to you?"

"I don't know. Can you? You never have before."

Sigh. "Mom…"

"What is it dear?" He could hear love in her voice. Even though she was always exasperating, he loved her very much.

"I… I'm going to retire from the team. Most players are done by 30. (AN: Before anyone tries to correct me, I know this is not true in the European teams. European teams have players in their 40s and 50s. However, I checked for Japan and in 2002, the average age of the Japanese team was 24.) And… I did what I wanted to do, so it's time to let the younger players get their chance…"

There was a pause on the other end. "Alright. So, what will you do now?"

Pause. "I… Mom, I wanted to know if you needed me back home or not. If you do, I put off your needs long enough to follow my dreams, so if you need me, I'll come back."

He could hear only silence. Just before he was about to ask if she was still there, she responded, "But that's not what you really want to do, is it?"

"…"

"You have something else, don't you?"

"The coach is recommending me to become a coach myself." Unthinkingly, he waved the sealed envelope toward the phone. "My old coach at Ohsaka Gakuen is retiring, and they need someone… Of course, there are other people who could take that job, so it's not like if I don't go there anyone will be put out, so-"

Her smile could be heard through the phone. "Shuichi, my son, I don't know if I've told you how proud of you I am. I've been hard on you, but I knew I needed to be hard so that you'd follow through to your goals without doubting yourself.

"If there's something you want to do, you know now that you are capable of doing it. We've got everything covered here, so don't worry. The Asaba boy has been helping out, so we're actually doing quite well." Her voice softened, "I always knew our store was not your cup of tea. But if you ever do need a place to come back to…"

Nakatsu began to cry. "I love you, mom!"

"I know dear. I love you, too. So do you think you could call me more than just 4 times a year?"

Laughing through his tears, he promised, "I'll try, mom. I'll try."

X

Two phone calls later, and his plans were set. So he settled in for a long night on the couch - just him, a bottle of sports drink, and a certain notebook for him to read. He was determined to finish the whole book within the next two days, before he'd have to leave for an interview that would determine half of his future.

XX XY XX XY XX XY

It was another flight where his thoughts consumed him the entire way. It had been less than a week since his last visit, and now he was on his way back home - back to where he'd spent three years determining who it was he really wanted to be for the rest of his life. It felt right that he was going back there now that all his decisions for the future were open again.

Retiring had been a lot easier than he'd anticipated. When he'd told the coach, he'd actually smiled and said it was about time, and it was perfect timing. Apparently, the sports event that Nakatsu had spoken at the day before at Ohsaka Gakuen (that was the reason he'd been there) had gone extremely well. Whatever he'd said had really fired up the students. His old coach had called his current coach that night to thank him for lending Nakatsu, and to drop the hint about the position becoming available.

Of course, he still had to be interviewed, but Ohsaka Gakuen always preferred to hire alumni, so he was the preferred choice. And his old coach was so excited about him accepting the job that he'd told him outright that if Nakatsu wanted the job, he'd go out of his way to make sure he got it. After all, none of the other applicants was a World Cup champion.

The announcement of his retirement was made to the team at the next day's practice, and Nakatsu spent his last day as a member of the team coaching the other members - giving them pointers to improve their game, and insights to some of the teams they'd be up against. Then, the team went out for one last celebration.

He got to bed quite late, and quite intoxicated. The next morning, was very fuzzy for him - which was probably a good thing. It made him calmer for the press conference. He kept it very simple: "It has been a great honor to be able to play for the best football team in the world. However, it is time for me to pass the torch. Our team this year is the strongest it has been ever, and I honestly expect that my retirement from the team will barely be noticed as the games go on. We've chosen Kisho to take over as the team captain, and if he doesn't keep the team in shape, I'll come back to kick his ass."

There were a few more questions that the coach and he took turns fielding. Then it was back to his apartment to finish reading, and finish packing for the next day's flight. Which came in the blink of an eye.

A couple of the stewardesses asked him if he was really no longer going to lead the team to victory. He replied that it was a great team - they didn't need him to win. They'd smiled at that, and he'd smiled back at them. One of them asked him if he was retiring to be with a girl, and an image of Kyoumi flashed in front of his eyes. But his response was, "No. I'm retiring because I'm old," followed by a wink. Her smile grew at that, and she took special care of him throughout the rest of the flight as he sunk into his thoughts.

He'd managed to read through her entire book. It made him wonder even more whether that one story was about him or whether he was being incredibly self-absorbed. There had been stories that he could see were about her sister, her brother, here parents, her pets, several about her supposedly gorgeous roommate who had a heart as bright as sunshine, a couple of her teachers, and about half that he guessed were entirely fictional. She had a keen insight into what made people tick and how they reacted with each other. But the funny thing was, she appeared to have a level of unshakeable confidence in who she was, yet insecurity that anyone could truly accept her for who she was deep down. It was amazing how much of herself was in each and every single story that she wrote. When he finished, he was again touched by how much she trusted him in giving him that microscope to her soul.

Part of him wanted to call her the moment he'd finished the last story. But he decided to let it all sit inside him for a bit and brew there. That, and calling her from in town would mean he could see her right away after talking to her. He was a little afraid that if he called her that they'd not connect like they had the last time they'd met. 'God, she's so amazing,' he thought. Then, he forced his mind to the more immediate needs, preparing himself for his interview. Even if it was a "sure thing", he wanted to wow them anyway.

XX XY XX XY XX XY

After finishing another day of classes, Kyoumi made her way to her favorite Sakura tree. She smiled as she thought, 'I wonder if it's because of her name… I always write under a Sakura tree. I always have. And I never could write with anyone in the room until Sakura.' She chuckled at herself. 'I'm probably just being silly.'

And then, her thoughts were again on Nakatsu. On Nakatsu reading her book. On what he could be thinking. It had been 4 days since she'd seen him. Had he read any of it? All of it? Had he liked it? Had he hated it? Would he really call her? Of course he would. He would return the book to her regardless of how he felt about her afterward. He was that kind of guy.

He'd remembered her. He'd picked her up and swung her. She remembered the feel of his arms around her and she closed her eyes, sighing and leaning back against the tree. He had the kindest brown eyes - she remembered swimming in them at the table.

It was a little funny. She was supposed to be infatuated with him before she met him again - but if that was the case, shouldn't she have pictured him as more amazing before she saw him? Not more amazing now that she'd seen the real him? 'God! I'm an idiot. There is just NO way that he's going to be interested in a girl who's just barely more than ½ his age.' But he'd kissed her deeply. She couldn't deny that - no matter how she'd tried. That kiss had been keeping her up nights, and on edge during the days. She'd written more stories in the past four days than she had in the four weeks prior to the meeting.

She shook her head, eyes still closed, and a tiny secret smile on her face. Head back against the tree, with the notebook on her lap and a pen in her hand is how they found her.

"Oh! My! GOD! Kyoumi!" She heard Hisa approaching and really didn't want to open her eyes. Hisa could be a little exhausting. But that would be rude, so open her eyes she did, and turned to see Midori accompanying her.

"What's up?"

"You are NOT going to believe it!" Hisa exclaimed. Her face glowered as she looked at the girl, as if she was holding Kyoumi personally responsible for some wrong done to her.

"What?"

"They just showed on the news that your boyfriend announced he was retiring," Midori said quietly.

"I don't have a boyfriend," she replied, but internally her mind wheeled, 'Retiring? Nakatsu?'

Hisa bent over with one hand on her hip, the other forefinger extended was shaking at her, "This is all your fault, Kyoumi! He's leaving our team, and it's all your fault!"

Opening her eyes wide in astonishment, she didn't get the chance to respond before Midori rushed to her defense. "That's not fair, Hisa, and you know it! Nakatsu Shuichi is 32 years old. Most players retire by the time they're 30. I'm sure that Kyoumi had nothing to do with it." She turned conspiratorially to the writer and said softly, "But I sure do hope you benefit from it." Her smile was gentle and hopeful. She really was a romantic.

"Nakatsu's retiring?" she asked.

"Oh, like you didn't know!" Hisa said.

And again before she could say anything, Midori said quietly yet sternly, "That's a new book she's writing in. Do you see how far into it she is, Hisa? She hasn't heard from him since that day." She turned back to Kyoumi. Grimacing apologetically, she continued, "Sorry, Kyoumi, but you haven't, have you?"

Kyoumi shook her head no, sadly.

"Oh, sure! Whatever! But I'll tell you this, Kagurazaka Kyoumi, if we lose this year, I'm holding you personally responsible." That being said, the girl spun on her heel and headed back to the dorm. Midori shrugged and smiled, then followed Hisa back to school.

'He's retiring? What does that mean?'

She sat under the tree for another hour, without writing a thing. She had no idea what to even think.

X


	4. 4 First Date

Chapter 4

'Dinner time. Cafeteria and deal with all my classmates who think I've personally ended the career of their favorite star? Or Tappanyaki where I'll think of Nakatsu all night long?' She unloaded her book bag and placed in it her notebook, several pens, and her cell phone. 'Yeah, like that's a hard choice!'

"Oh, you going out to eat?" Sakura breezed into the room, and flopped onto her bed. Kyoumi was still amazed that she could take an action so inelegant and make it seem graceful.

"Yeah."

"I don't blame ya. I wouldn't want to deal with those old biddies either, if I were you!" Kyoumi smiled at that. "Yeah. The way I hear it, you've secretly been writing to Nakatsu for years, and seducing him the whole time. But since you were underage, it was simple to say no. Now, however," Sakura stood up and dramatically danced around the room the melodrama of the gossip, "there are no boundaries, and he has completely fallen for your deceptive wiles.

"Enough so that you were able to convince him that the ONLY way you could possibly be together would be if he were to give up that VULGAR sport called football and wait on you hand and foot!" She bent over and acted like she was sticking a finger down her throat. "BARF!" She swirled around to face Kyoumi and placed both hands on her hips as she declared, "Idiots!"

Kyoumi laughed, "So you wanna come with me?"

At that moment, her cell phone - which never rang and was there mostly just in case of an emergency - rang. Both girls jumped and stared at the bag the phone was in, but neither made a move to answer the call.

"Uh, Kyoumi? Your bag appears to be ringing."

With a yeah-you're-sure-funny look, Kyoumi reached in her bag and pulled out her cell. It was not a number she recognized. Raising her eyebrows to her roommate, heart racing with uncontrollable hope, her mouth twitched to one side to indicate she had no idea who was on the phone as she flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

X

"So when can you start?"

"How soon do you need me?"

"Well, I was hoping to find someone who could take over right after the Christmas break. Would you be available by then?"

"I just need to find an apartment here and move all my stuff, and then I'm yours. I could even start before the break to transition the team."

"That'd be great!" The coach was absolutely beaming.

"Well, I remember how important you were to my development - I'd hate for them to just lose you cold."

"Yeah, right!" The coach joked back, "You just don't want to have to deal with the crap those brats'd hand down to you if you stepped in fresh without me to kick 'em in line."

"Well, that, too," Nakatsu agreed amiably. The coach laughed outright. "So… When will I find out if I got the job?"

Confusion spread over the coach's face for a second, followed by amusement. "Um. How 'bout now?" He watched the man he'd trained as a boy run through the meaning of what he'd just said. "I already told the board that I was hiring you, and they readily agreed. Like they could possibly turn away the most famous footballer in all of Japan! You're going to do wonders for the upcoming admission applications. And the fact that you weren't even a dorm 1 student is going to help with the non-athletic admissions, too.

"At first, the board was a bit concerned - they thought they'd never be able to afford you. But I assured them that Nakatsu Shuichi wasn't the type of guy to take a job based solely on monetary benefits, he's the type of guy who picks his job based on the satisfaction it gives him.

"Of course, you'll be making more than I ever did - your fame is sure to bring the school enough extra profit to make it worth their while." He handed Nakatsu the official offer letter. "Take some time, read it over, make sure it's what you want, then fax it back to me." He stood up to shake his former pupil's hand. Nakatsu did the same.

"Thank you so much, sir."

Pulling him into a hug, the coach replied, "Welcome back, son!"

X

He walked off campus with the first half of his goal accomplished. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a notebook and opened the front cover. Sitting on a bench, he pulled out his cell phone - and called the hotel he always stayed at. Once he had a room reserved so that he'd actually have a place to sleep for the night, he walked toward the hotel and began dialing again.

X

"Hello?"

Hearing her voice, he found himself smiling and feeling warm. "Kyoumi-chan?"

"Nakatsu!" In her dorm room, Sakura had her eyes wide in excitement and enthusiasm, giving Kyoumi a double thumbs up. "Um. Hi!"

"Uh, hi. Um…" it was really ridiculous to be this nervous. Seriously. He was a grown man.

"So uh… how's Tokyo? Glad to be home?" Sakura shook her head no, and started miming eating dinner to her roommate.

"I'm not quite home yet, actually. But… maybe soon. Uh, I finished your book."

She sat down in a quick lump on the floor. Sakura began making the "What? What!" gestures. "Oh. You did?" She looked as white as a ghost. Sakura began whispering, "Breathe, girl. Breathe."

"Yeah. Um. I was kinda hopin'… I mean…" He slapped himself in the head. 'God, man, you sound like an idiot. Just ask the girl out!' "Would you like to join me for dinner?"

Her breath started coming in rapid pants, but she hid it by moving the mouthpiece away from her mouth in between talking. "Dinner? Um. You mean you're in town?"

"Just say yes!" Sakura mouthed at her.

"Yeah. I'm in town. I'm in the hotel just down the block from Auntie O's."

"Oh. Well, then do you want to meet up there?"

He smiled and then shook his head. "No. I mean, I'll come pick you up. If… um… if you don't mind, I'm hoping this can be like… a date?"

"Oh. Okay. Sure." She was starting to feel faint.

"Okay. I'll be waiting at the front gate in ½ hour. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Okay. I'll… see you in half an hour."

"Kyoumi?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really looking forward to seeing you again."

"Me, too. Bye."

"Bye."

Slowly, she closed the phone. Her eyes spoke volumes of terror and Sakura smiled. "So am I spending the next half hour getting you ready for a date with your dream man?"

She looked up at her best friend and nodded slowly, and then broke into a dreamy grin. Laughing, Sakura pulled out her electric rollers and plugged them in, then turned to the closet to pick her roommate an outfit that would stun.

X

Her hair was beautiful ebony waves that came halfway down her thighs. On top, she wore a light mauve wraparound top of soft silk - the V-neck plunged down enough to show cleavage that her schoolmates envied, and the waistline was tight so that you could appreciate her tiny waist. The flouncy sleeves just covered her shoulders. A deep-plum colored flouncy skirt stopped just 2mm before her hair did. Black knee-high boots emphasized her tresses, while a necklace with a plum-colored disc that looked vaguely like a piece of shell hung just above where her cleavage started.

Subtle plum and pink had been used to shadow and line her eyes, making them appear larger than usual, but without making her appear made up. A healthy glow on her cheeks and some pink lipstick that emphasized the fullness of her lips completed Sakura's make-up on her.

Carrying a small black bag that held her cell phone, her keys, her new notebook, a pen and a lipstick, she walked nervously through the hallway toward the exit. The vultures circled and looked like they intended to descend, but Sakura ran interference so that her roommate could escape unmolested. And then, she laughed the whole night at their pitiful attempts to get her to tell them ANYthing.

X

He was wearing his interview suit, but with a clean, pale blue shirt and a blue patterned tie. His hair was slicked back and business-like. As Sano would say, he cleaned up pretty good. He was pacing in front of the gate. He'd gotten there 5 minutes early. In the middle of turning, the gate opened and she came out. Feet freezing mid-stride, his jaw fell open. Kyoumi stopped as well, staring at the beautiful, suave- looking man waiting for her.

"Uh, hi!" He raised one hand in greeting.

"Hi," she bowed slightly to him.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She walked the remaining distance to him. "Uh. Sure."

"Okay." He reached out and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, and they both felt their breath catch. They began the walk to the restaurant. "So do you want to go to Auntie O's? I mean, you look really wonderful, so if you'd rather, I could take you to the 5-star restaurant in my hotel - they serve a fabulous steak."

"Would you rather go for steak?" she asked, eyeing him.

"Well, actually…" He stopped and turned to her. "Actually, I'm really nervous, Kyoumi. I've never really dated anyone before - well, there was Komari-chan back in high school, but… that didn't go really very well because I was in love with someone else, and I really shouldn't be mentioning other girls when I'm out with you, should I? But, you…" He looked deep in her eyes and swallowed. "I just want to do this right."

"Nakatsu? Let's just go to Auntie O's, so we'll be somewhere familiar."

"Ok," he said, and they started walking again. The wind caught her hair and blew it like a trail of silk ribbon behind her. His eyes kept returning to soak in her presence. 'My god, she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.'

She snuck glances at him as they walked. She'd never seen him look so formal, so put together. He looked almost like a model in a fashion magazine. 'Did he get all dressed up just for me? I mean, yeah, I got all dressed up for HIM, but I've been infatuated with him since I was three! Maybe I fell and hit my head and this is all a dream.

'He was in love already. I guess I kinda knew that, but I didn't really put the word "love" into the situation.' She thought about when Makoto came home from Olympic training freaking out and saying, "He's a she! I mean, God DAMN it! How did I not see it! That spunky little twirp was actually a girl! MAN! If I'da known… And she's CUTE, too! DAMN IT!" Kyoumi had asked what he was so bent out of shape about, and he'd told her, "Remember those three boys from that summer at the beach without mom & dad? You know, the dumb one gave you that stupid arm band and he was always lovey-dovey over the little one? Well, the little one is a GIRL! And now she's married to SANO! How did I never SEE that? And how did she get into an all-boys school, anyway?"

Makoto had fretted over that all night. But it hadn't meant much to her at the time except that Nakatsu had been betrayed by his best friend - in her 7-year old mind, anyway. When she got older, she'd started wondering more about the situation: Had Nakatsu even known she was a girl? Had he cared? She came to the conclusion that he probably hadn't known, and probably hadn't cared. All he knew was that the person, who the girl was deep inside, was important to him. The extra details weren't so important. She decided that was just one more thing to love about him.

Sneaking another peek at him, she saw his face was tight with determination and worry and her feet slowed down. She was staring at him outright when he turned to see what was up.

"Kyoumi, are you-"

Her face was glowing, and her eyes looked fierce. "Nakatsu, I'm not going to let you worry all night. You don't know… You're here with me. I cannot think of a single thing that could make me anything other than incredibly happy to be here."

The transformation on his face was incredible. It was as if the light cast there had been dimmed, grayed, but after she spoke he glowed from the inside out and all the colors of the world seemed just a little more clear and bright. And the smile he directed at her made her heart feel as if it had wings and had taken flight, the wings fluttering against her throat as it strained to fly free. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I hope you'll call me Shuichi." Then he kissed her cheek quickly before pulling her back into motion toward their destination. They arrived there very quickly after that.

X

Auntie O apparently could tell right away that they were there on a date. Rather than calling an informal, "Welcome, Shu-chan," she instead bowed formally to the couple and said, "Ah! Nakatsu-san! How wonderful to see you again. Would you care for your usual table?"

He looked up at her, obviously flummoxed until Auntie winked at him conspiratorially. Then he beamed at her. "That would be wonderful, Auntie!"

She led them back to his hidden table, took their drink orders, and made sure they were comfortable before leaving them to decide what they would care to eat for the evening.

Nakatsu looked across the table at his beautiful companion. But instead of saying, "You look absolutely amazing tonight," he allowed his eyes and his smile to say it for him. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out her notebook. "I read every single story," he said. "They were… amazing. You have a unique way of bringing the subjects of your stories to life."

She breathed in deeply as she clasped her hands in front of her chest, not realizing that in doing so, her forearms squeezed her breasts together in an amazing show for the man across from her. To his credit, he noticed, yet was more concerned with her reaction to his reaction to her stories than with the fantasies that sight would have inspired in a lesser man. "You really liked them?"

"They're the kind of stories that you read, and say, 'This is just like when…' Or you read 'em and then years later something happens and you say, 'Oh! This is just like that story I read…' They stay with you." She felt like light. Like she could dissolve right then and there into nothing.

"No one… No one's ever read them before."

"Really? Why not?"

"I… never let anyone. I was too nervous."

"Yeah, I guess I can understand that. You put a lot of yourself into them. It's hard to trust someone to… accept you for who you are, let alone all the parts that you normally keep hidden."

She smiled up at him like she was dazed. 'This has GOT to be a dream!' "So… Did you have a… a favorite?"

"Um. Well… There was one that I…" He blushed as he continued, "I wondered about… more than the others." She eagerly leaned forward and waited for him to continue. "Su & Miki. 'The End of Childhood.'"

With wide eyes, she almost jumped back at that. "Oh!" 'Dammit! I forgot about that one!'

"Was… Was Miki supposed to be a boy or a girl?" Her eyes opened wide, and slowly her grin grew until she smiled broadly and clapped her hands.

"Yay! It worked! I meant to leave that open-ended, so that you wouldn't quite know."

He looked at her through slitted eyes. "Why?"

"Um. Yeah. So. You were in love once you said."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I didn't?" At that moment, Auntie dropped off their tea, and Kyoumi busied herself in taking a sip, then placed her order. Nakatsu followed suit. After Auntie left, she jumped in before he could say anything. "It's not quite fair, you know. You now know more about me than I do about you. I mean, I know all the stuff that's out there in the press clippings, but I don't know the real stuff.

"Like, you were once in love. I only know that for certain because you mentioned it on the way here," she hoped her rambling was distracting him. "And I know the things my brother used to say about you, but I'm betting at least half of that was exaggeration. But you've now read my heart."

He smiled at her. He wasn't 17 anymore, and he could see what she was doing - trying to distract him from his question. It wasn't going to work. "Maybe, but to read your heart, I have to know how to interpret what I've read, now don't I?"

"Why is it so important - whether it's a boy or a girl?"

"It's not. But why you wrote it - that's important."

"You know, I don't know if I'd have let you read that book if I'd remembered that story was in there…" She took a deep breath and continued, "Tell you what, you tell me about your first love, and I'll tell you why I wrote it that way."

His eyes got wide for a second, then he smiled. "Mizuki. Ashiya Mizuki was her name. She was my best friend in high school's roommate, and later became his wife. She dressed up like a boy, came to Japan all the way from America, just to meet him. I thought he was a boy. But even so…"

"Even so, you loved him because of the person he was, not knowing he was really a girl."

"Yeah." He looked at her askance - wondering how she knew that. "And this other girl, Komari asked me out, and I hadn't quite figured everything out, so I went out with her. She was really, really nice, but when I figured out I was in love with Mizuki I broke it off with her. She took it… well better than I think most girls would, having their boyfriend dump them for a boy. At the time, I thought I MUST be gay, but… only for Mizuki." His eyes had taken on a wistful look.

Her smile clearly read, "I knew it!" but she remained silent.

"Anyway, it wasn't meant to be. She's always been one of my best friends - an inspiration for me to be better, as a person. And she married my other best friend. Maybe someday I'll tell you that story. It'd make a pretty cool novel."

With a slight smile, she said, "And now you know why."

Cocking his head like a dog listening to a far off whistle, his only response was, "Huh?"

"Why'd you give up on her?"

Holding his hands out in a helpless gesture, he shrugged. "She chose. And it wasn't me. I loved her, so I did what I could to make her happy. I let her go.

"It's cool though. They have three really fun kids - I babysit 'em at least once a year. Those two - they're my best friends."

Auntie O brought the ingredients to the table. "Nakatsu-san, would you prefer me to cook for you tonight?"

He patted her shoulder, "I got it, Auntie. Thanks." She looked back and forth between the two, delight apparent on her face. Then she nodded and left the two to be alone.

Kyoumi picked up the conversation where they'd left off. "So. You let her go. Because it was time to move beyond your selfish desire and grow up. Otherwise none of you would be happy."

He continued with the cooking. "Yeah, I guess that's about right."

"So have you figured out why I made it so that you couldn't tell if Miki was a boy or a girl?"

"Because you knew someday you'd let me read it and it would drive me crazy?" he asked with a grin.

She wadded up her napkin and threw it at him. He tossed it back. "Keep this, you may need it later."

She rolled her eyes. "No, NakatSU!" She sighed. "You know, my brother was very surprised to find out MIzuKI was Sano's wife. He'd never guessed she was a she. But in honesty, I could tell he was a little relieved. She must be quite a woman.

"And even though she hid her sex well enough to fool you and my brother, the person she was shone through enough for you to fall in love, and my brother to develop a deep respect."

Nakatsu looked up from his cooking to see that she was entirely serious. "You… wrote that story because of me?"

"It was… Miki was of indeterminate sex because of Mizuki. But the rest was merely wishful thinking. That and… me trying to force myself to grow up."

Nakatsu smiled and thought, 'So I wasn't being self-absorbed.' Reaching into his pocket, he tossed an old, worn armband onto the table. "Does that mean you didn't want to give this back?"

The beautiful girl across from him looked frightened for a second. Then stood up. "I think I need to visit the rest room." She walked to his side of the table and paused, then leaned in to him. As he turned to look at her, she said, "And no. What it meant is that," her kiss caught him off guard and took his breath away. She broke the kiss and finished the thought, "I'm ready to move on to grown up things."

She spun and with a stately grace that was at complete odds with the percussive beating of her heart, made her way to the ladies' room.

In the wash room, she reapplied her lipstick, and fussed in the mirror. For the first time in her life, she truly hoped she was as beautiful as her family and friends always told her she was. Next, she pulled down her top a bit and fluffed out her cleavage. 'What in the hell am I doing?' she thought. This isn't me. She pulled the top back up, but this time it was a bit too high. As she was pulling it to the correct location, Auntie O came in.

Batting the girl's hands away, she said, "Fu fu fu. Let me fix this." Once the top was in the proper place, she fluffed out the girl's hair a bit, then spun the girl to face her. "Don't try too hard, child. You don't need to."

"Uh. What- What do you mean, Auntie?"

Shaking her head, "I mean, and I'm going to be quite exact, I've only seen him look at ONE other person the way he looks at you. But that girl was in love with someone else - unlike you. You won't break his heart. And he won't break yours. So just go back to the table and enjoy yourself - before he gives himself an aneurysm worrying about you coming back. All right?" With that, she pushed the girl out the door, and she walked back to the table.

He'd already begun eating. "It's going to get cold if you don't dig in," he said and she smiled and began to eat as well.

In between bites, she continued talking to him. "So, I uh… heard you retired."

"Oh. Yeah. Well. I wanted to leave before I started to weigh the team down. Besides, I did what I promised."

"What you promised?"

He told her of his promise to his best friend in junior high, and how they'd both kept their end of the deal.

"OH! So that's why your hair was yellow!" He laughed at that.

"Anyway, the team was in great shape, and they really didn't need me anymore, so I decided… it was time to get on with the rest of my life. You know… leave childish things behind."

She smirked at that. "So what will you do now? Will you be finding a job in Tokyo?"

Grinning from ear to ear, "Funny you should ask! Originally, I'd thought I'd go home to Osaka to help my parents run their store. But… Um… Hey! Do you think you might be willing to help me out with something?"

She blinked her eyes in puzzlement, "Uh… Sure?"

"Would you… help me look for a place to live?"

Blinking again, "Where? Here?"

If possible, his grin got even bigger as he nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to be taking over as the new coach at Ohsaka Gakuen."

Eyes like saucers, jaw unhinged, she sputtered, "Wha- wha- What? When? How? You're going to be living here? Why?"

"Well," he picked up the arm band, "Just before you returned this to me, I'd been back to Ohsaka as a guest speaker for the sports teams. And when I told my coach I was thinking of retiring, he told me my old high school coach was doing the same and wanted me as his replacement. So… I came back today, interviewed for the position, and as soon as I find a place to live and close down my apartment in Tokyo, I'll start transitioning into the job.

"And as for why, there are only three reasons. One: because it feels right to be giving back something to the school that helped me become who I am. Two: because I love soccer - and if I'm not playing, the idea of helping others play just makes sense."

Kyoumi waited for him to finish, but he just continued to eat. "So what's the third reason?" He just smiled at her and continued to eat, and she found herself blushing.

They finished their dinner, and Nakatsu took care of the bill as Kyoumi again went to the powder room to refresh her lipstick. They met at the front door and walked out hand in hand. Up, left, right, he looked around, and then looked down into the eyes of the girl next to him. What he saw there made his heart skip a beat.

In a husky voice, he said, "I'm not ready for this date to end yet. Are you, Kyoumi-chan?" Without breaking the hold his eyes had on her, she shook her head no. "I'm glad."

"What-" she swallowed hard, still lost in his eyes, "what do you want to do now?"

His heart raced, and he stepped closer to the girl. "Oh, Kyoumi, don't… ask me that." Still holding his hand, she stepped closer to him and began chewing on her lower lip. "God, Kyoumi," he rumbled and pulled her into his embrace, kissing her deeply. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight, her fingers digging into his back with need. Their tongues battled each other, and she moaned into his mouth. He felt a response build within him, and he knew that if he didn't stop them now, he'd never want to stop ever. No. Scratch that. He already never wanted to stop. But he knew if he didn't stop now, he'd end up taking her there on the street.

Grabbing her shoulders as he broke their kiss, he held her tightly, but away from him. 'Am I a sick pervert for wanting a high school girl? Or am I a fool for falling for her? Or both?' "I…" He gulped and started again. "Maybe we should… pick up some housing guides and... you could help me start to narrow down the field?"

She smiled and tried not to look disappointed. "Okay. If that's what you want."

"Oh, Kyoumi." He shook his head. Longing was painted on his face. "What I want… yeah. That's what I want." 'To find a place that I can call home. And then take you there. And kiss you, and hold you, and have you smile that smile of yours for me. That's what I want.'

They pulled several brochure books of houses for sale, and then went to sit in the park that Sano'd always walked Yuujirou in back in high school.

"Okay. Now, what kind of place are you looking for?"

He paused and then started giving descriptions. "At least two bedrooms. … So I can have… guests… Better make that at least three bedrooms. And a library or a study. A big kitchen. I like to cook."

"Are you looking for a traditional style home, or something more Western?"

"Well, I don't know… What do you think? What would you feel more comfortable in?"

She thought for a moment, her pen tapping her bottom lip. "I guess I like the traditional homes more - but that's probably because I grew up at a shrine."

"Oh yeah! I forgot! You're a miko!" She was about to say something derogatory back to him at that, but she heard him mutter under his breath, "My little Miko." She looked up at him in shock, but his face didn't register anything different. 'Maybe I just thought I heard that.'

"So how close to the school do you want to live?"

"No more than a 10 minute walk. I don't want to have to bother with a car, and I'd like to be able to go home for… lunch… occasionally."

"Okay. Any preference on baths?"

"I like furos for relaxing, but showers for day-to-day cleaning."

"Me, too." She said as she flipped through the book in front of her.

'Get a hold of yourself, Nakatsu! She didn't say that with any thought at all that you might then picture her in a bath with you. Get a grip and calm down.' He focused on his breathing. Her mutters, "No… Not quite… Wrong neighborhood…" floated to him. He flipped through his own book, looking for places that he could imagine himself living in, imagine Kyoumi in, imagine kids in.

Suddenly, Kyoumi gasped.

"What? What did you find?"

"Oh. Oh, it's probably not right for you. It's a little big…" He snatched the book out of her hand and read the description. Four bedroom house, library, modern kitchen, fireplace, traditional hardwood furo for downstairs bath with separate lavatory, modern bath upstairs. The picture showed a backyard garden with cherry trees in full blossom. The location was less than a 5 minute walk from Ohsaka, in the direction of St. Blossom's.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number of the real estate agent. Even though it was 7pm, the agent picked up. "Actually, I'm just finishing up showing a house right down the street from that one. That house is empty, so if you wanted to see it now, I could meet you there in half an hour…"

Thanking the agent, he stood up and then swooped down on Kyoumi, picking her up by the waist and spinning her in a circle. After he set her down, she needed to catch her breath. He picked up the books from the park bench and then grabbed her hand. "Let's go look at a house, Miss Kagurazaka."

Legs moving double time to keep up with him, she voiced concern, "You know, Shuichi, this isn't really the way you're supposed to pick a house. You're supposed to find a whole bunch of houses that you think you might like, then go and visit all of them so that you can compare them against each other."

He smiled at her and said, "I like the way my name sounds when you say it." He kept walking with his long strides, so she didn't have the chance to slow her feet. But her brain did a big, "D'uhhhhhh!" at that comment, and she didn't say anything else as they swiftly walked to the house in question.

They easily recognized the house from the photo in the brochure. However, when they saw it in person, they both gasped, then turned to each other with dazed smiles.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The realtor had arrived behind them while they stood there, and they jumped as her voice took them by surprise. "It's a real shame that it's empty. It needs a family."

"It is beautiful," Kyomi stated. "How long has it been on the market."

Sighing, the realtor said, "She's been empty for 6 months now, and has been on the market for just shy of a year." She unlocked the door and ushered the couple in.

Kyomi raised her eyebrows and said, "Really? What's wrong with it?" Nakatsu was walking the perimeter of the front room, taking in all the details.

"According to the building inspector, not a thing. I've got a copy of his report here, if you're interested."

"Yes, I am. And if we think the house is right, we'll of course want to have a separate inspector come in," Kyoumi stated firmly.

"Of course. Let me show you around."

Bedrooms with tatami mat floors. Sliding paper doors. The furo was amazing: "Sano'd LOVE this!" Nakatsu exclaimed. The kitchen was huge. The library had built-in shelving that slid to reveal more shelves behind it.

"The house used to belong to a comparative literature teacher at Ohsaka Gakuen, and his family. But his kids all grew up and left home, and after he retired, he and his wife felt it was too big for them. They moved to Tokyo and got a great apartment, but this house hasn't sold.

"Most of the home-buyers nowadays are looking for something a little more Western."

"This house used to belong to Kitayama-san?"

The agent was surprised. "Yes. How did you know that?"

"He was my literature teacher 2nd year."

The master bedroom looked out over the back yard. Nakatsu imagined that in the spring, lying in bed and looking out the window, all you'd see would be pink and blue. Walking down and exiting onto the back porch and into the back yard, the garden was breath-taking. Kyoumi was walking under the cherry trees, the wind blowing her hair in flowing swirls.

Without hesitating, he turned to the realtor. "What's the asking price?"

"33 million yen."

"Would Kitayama-san be willing to come down to 25 million if it's cash?"

Kyoumi spun on her heel to stare at him. "WHAT?"

"I'll talk to the owner for you."

"Great. Here's my cell number. Please let me know. OH! And of course, the offer is pending an inspection, of course."

"Of course. I'll go see if I can reach him now. Feel free to continue looking around the house."

After she left, Kyoumi came over and slapped Nakatsu in the shoulder. "What do you mean, 25 million in cash?"

"Well… I haven't really had anything to spend money on for the past few years. So I have some money saved up. But don't worry. I'm not spending ALL my money… And my apartment should sell for about twice the cost of this place, so it should all work out. In fact, I bet I could sell my apartment to Kisho - he'd love it… OH! Kisho's the new team captain. I hadn't told you that."

"Shuichi! You are NOT supposed to just buy the first house you see!"

"But it's perfect for me."

"It's HUGE!"

"Yeah, but…"

"But what?"

"Well… Maybe someday I'll…" He was looking at his feet and casting occasional peeks at her to gauge her reaction. "You know… get married… have kids. Don't you… don't you think you'll want to… get married to… someone… someday? And… have kids?"

She swallowed hard. 'He's not looking at me. Why is he not looking at me? Is it because he's afraid to make me feel bad that he doesn't think about me that way, or because he's afraid I'll run if he does?' Then her thoughts briefly turned to her hidden dreams - the ones she never let herself believe could ever come true - where Nakatsu had his arm around her, as they looked on at their kids playing. She quickly stomped the vision down, just as she had for 14 years - or to be honest, the last 7 of those 14.

She swallowed again, and stared at the cherry tree in front of her, her back to him as she responded. "If… the man I loved asked me to marry him… I'd… say yes… And… hope for three. Three kids."

"And… wouldn't you want… a house like this one?"

"I… guess so." For some reason, she felt like crying. He would marry some lovely lady, and that'd be that. No more fantasies and dreams.

He took her hand and turned her to face him. "Kyoumi? Why the sad face? You should… only ever have a smile on your face." 'Does she not… like me after all?' He leaned in and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb, his palm cupping her face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Kyoumi. I… Haven't even asked you if you wanted to be my girlfriend yet, and I'm asking you questions like this and upsetting you. I always get ahead of myself. That's why I never dated anyone. But I thought maybe you… but I don't know. You probably already have a bunch of boys interested in you, and you wouldn't want an old man like me -"

She stopped his rambling by jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck, kissing him. His arms flew out to the side for a second, then wrapped around her and held her tightly to him. When they broke for air, she buried her face in his neck, and he whispered, "Oh, Kyoumi. Kyoumi."

He sat down on the bench with her in his lap, and she looked up at him and smiled through tears. "Does this mean… you'll be my girl?" Not trusting her voice, she just nodded. He smiled, closed his eyes, and rested his head against hers. "I'm so glad."

X


	5. 5 First Date Pt 2

Chapter 5

When she opened the door to her dorm room, the lights were all out. She wasn't surprised. It was after midnight. She closed the door quietly, locked it, set her purse down on the desk, and began to change into pajamas.

"Make sure you wash off that makeup before bed, or your skin will pay you back for it."

Sakura turned on her bedside lamp, and Kyoumi blinked at the light. "OH! You're awake!"

"Yeah, like I'd be able to sleep when you're out with the love of your life on your first date? Go wash your face and brush your teeth and then get back in here, young lady! We need to talk."

Smiling, she said, "Yes, mom," and went into the bathroom.

Five minutes later, she was fully ready for bed and came back into the main dorm room.

"Sit. Spill."

Kyoumi sat on the end of the bed opposite her roommate. "Um…"

"Okay. First things first: Are you two officially dating now?"

"Um. Yes. He asked me if I would be his girlfriend." She was hugging her knees to her chest, and kind of hiding her mouth in her knees.

"Oh! My God! So… tell me about your date! Start from the beginning! What did you do?"

"Well… We went for teppanyaki. And he told me he read all my stories, and gave me back my book. And… the one I wrote about him, he asked me all sorts of questions about it. See, I had written about Su and Miki, and… No. There's too much to explain. But, I think he caught that "Su" was short for Nakatsu, but I think he thinks that "Miki" is just short for Mizuki - his first love (long story) - and I don't think that he got that Miki was supposed to be me.

"Anyway, after dinner, we got some of those free 'Buy a house' books and there was this one house that we both liked and he called on it, and so we went and met the agent, and he made an offer on the house right away -"

"Wait a minute!" Sakura interrupted. "He bought a house that YOU helped him pick on your first date?"

"I TOLD him that wasn't how you buy a house!"

"Okay back up! He's buying a house here. In town. He's moving HERE! Near YOU!"

"Oh. I forgot to mention that he took a job as the coach for Ohsaka Gakuen."

Sakura covered her face with her hands, and when she wiped them away, her look was dumbfounded. "He bought a house for a job near you. What kind of house?"

"Traditional. It has the most amazing garden. Sliding paper doors. Four bedrooms. An amazing library. It was unbelievably beautiful."

"Four bedrooms, why?"

"He said…" Her forehead scrunched up. "He gave two reasons. First he said for house guests. But then he said in case he gets married someday and has kids. And I got a little sad thinking that someday he'd marry someone and he apologized and said that he always gets ahead of himself and then he asked me to be his girlfriend."

Again, Sakura covered her face with her hands, and she spoke through them, muttering, "Oh my god, he wants to marry you."

"What? I can't hear you when you talk into your hands."

"I SAID, he wants to MARRY YOU! After your first date!"

Kyoumi buried her face in her knees. Then sat up. "I don't know about that." Her face belied her words, though. "And that wasn't really after our first date, it was kind of right in the middle."

"There was MORE that happened?"

"Well… after he signed the paperwork indicating his offer on the house - pending a positive inspection by an independently contracted building inspector, of course - we went out for some crepes. But… we were joking around, and some kinda got on his shirt. So I made him take me back to his hotel room so I could treat it before it stained."

"You went to his hotel room?"

"What's the big deal? It's just a hotel room."

"And you had him take his shirt off?"

She couldn't help herself. Her eyes got darker, and her smile got deeper. Then she caught herself and tried to look innocent. "I had to get out the stain, didn't I?"

"You know what? I don't even want to know how good he looked without a shirt on, do I?"

Kyoumi started pulling at her lower lip. "He… works out every day." Sakura groaned.

"So then what happened?"

Her memories of what happened were permanently etched into her brain. She'd taken his shirt into the bathroom, and started washing it in the sink. He came in behind her to thank her, and when he'd looked into the mirror, with her bent over, he could see down into her cleavage, and he'd swallowed deeply and frozen up behind her. Then he'd turned and walked back into the main portion of the hotel room and put his forehead against the window, muttering to himself.

She'd finished up with the shirt and came out to find him still in that position: shirtless, leaning against a window, muttering. As she neared him, tentatively reached out one hand to touch his bare, firm, broad shoulder, she'd muttered softly yet out loud, "This has GOT to be a dream."

He spun toward her, startled. Her hand was still outreached, and now it brushed against his chest. From the first touch, it was like an electric shock to their system. Or more accurately, they'd turned into magnet and steel and were drawn toward each other with a force they couldn't fight. As they kissed, he picked her up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and he moaned deeply into her mouth. She shivered in response - all her nerve endings were on fire.

Toward the bed he walked, and laid her down there. Her hands were roaming all over him, and her hips were molded to his. She could feel him firm against her core. He kissed her neck, her ear. His hands molded to her breasts and she arched her back to get closer to his touch.

Head back, she moaned, "Oh, God, Shuichi!" He was on hands and knees above her, his hips thrusting against hers, hers rubbing against him, her ankles locked at the small of his back. His mouth claimed a breast, kissing it through the fabric of her shirt & bra. She moaned louder, "OH yes!"

And then, it stopped. He stopped. He released her breast and pulled away from her with a soft, "No."

In surprise, her legs released the hold they had on him, and he pulled off of her completely. She pulled her legs to her, and held herself in a tight ball.

"God, I'm sorry, Kyoumi," he said as he looked away from her.

Still holding herself tightly, struggling to maintain a firmness and not begin to cry, she responded, "It… It's okay. I understand. I'm… not… her. I'm sorry."

"What?" He looked at her with concern.

"I'm not Mizuki. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

He put a finger on her lips and with his thumb lifted her chin until she was looking into his eyes. "You think I stopped because I'm disappointed you're not Mizuki?" he saw the confirmation in her expression and shook his head. His mien got a bit angry - fiery. "I knew exactly who I was with, and it was," he sighed and his expression got lost and hungry, "exactly who I wanted."

Her confusion was apparent.

"Don't you know… It's all been so fast, but I thought you knew." His brown eyes were so sad when he looked at her. "I stopped because I… want to give us time. I don't want to rush anything with you." His whole being flashed with fire, passion, as he continued, "There's nothing I would like more than to hold you in my arms, kiss every inch of your body, and…" he blushed as he said, "make love to you 'til we both collapse from exhaustion." His face became determined.

"But I want more than that from you. From us.

"I told Sano once that it's important to tell the woman you love how you feel and not think she'll just know. But here I am, doing the same thing." He reached down and held her hand.

"Kyoumi, I want to be your boyfriend. I want you to be my girlfriend. I want us to date and make sure that we won't change our mind. And if we don't change our mind, I want… YOU. In that house. With me. And maybe three. Or four.

"But first… it's like you said. You need to get to know more about me than just what those stupid fan writers and your brother - who never liked me, by the way - say about me. Because if you don't really love me, you're going to break my heart."

She looked up at him in awe. "I don't really anticipate that you have anything to worry about, Shuichi." He smiled sadly at her. "I understand your concern. I'd… like very much for… to be…" She bit her bottom lip, chewed on it. "But there's a part of me that really just wants you to throw me on this bed and fuck me right now."

It was the earnestness of her expression that got him. Full body laugh that was almost a roar. When he stopped laughing, he looked at her and smiled. "I'm not going to do that. But… would you mind if I kissed you a little more?"

She beamed at him. They spent the next several hours just talking, cuddling, and kissing. She told him the story of her life. Everything she could think of. When they looked up and saw it was already 11:45, they were shocked.

"I'm still not ready for this date to end," she said.

He agreed. "But we won't be able to go on our second date if the first one doesn't end some time."

"Second date? You're going to have to work hard to make it more memorable than this one. When?"

"You doing anything tomorrow?"

"I think I can make myself available for the right person…"

He pulled her into a hug. "I'm so glad you keep your promises, Kyoumi."

"Me, too."

They walked back to the school, and he gave her a chaste kiss good night - on her forehead. "Take care of yourself while we're apart, my little miko. I'll call you tomorrow."

As they separated, both of them whispered, and neither of them heard the other say, "I love you."

X

"Damn it, girl! Aren't you gonna tell me any more?"

She'd lived through the whole rest of the night in her mind, but hadn't answered Sakura's question.

"Uh. No. Just this. He's my boyfriend. And a perfect gentleman. And he's more amazing than I ever dreamed… I'm having a really hard time believing it's all real. I kinda feel like I must have descended into madness and that I'm not living in reality but a fantasy - except that he's such a gentleman." She paused and looked questioningly at her roommate. "If it was a fantasy, he would have already ravaged me, right?"

She laughed. "Yeah. And it's not a fantasy. I'll take care of you and never let that happen to you. Okay?"

Kyoumi hugged her friend for the second time that week, and said, "I better try to get some sleep."

"I'd say, 'Sweet dreams,' but I don't think I need to."

With that, they went to bed, and Sakura was right. She didn't need to wish Kyoumi sweet dreams. Not at all.

XX XY XX XY XX XY


	6. 6 Buy Her Flowers

**Chapter 6**

**He bounded through his day giddily. He knew he was giddy. He knew that most people would think him… silly at best, girly at worst. But he didn't care. He had a girlfriend. And she had the softest lips. The softest hair. The softest… everything. And what's more, he had a date with her tonight.**

**With a whistle and a skip in his step, he left the hotel on his way to Ohsaka. The contract was pretty much what he'd expected. The salary was even a bit more than he'd expected. All he needed to do was complete closing down his apartment in Tokyo, complete the transaction on the new house, and he'd be all set. No more living out of a hotel room.**

**He walked in the front gate of the school, and headed toward the coach's office. As he walked, he smiled, remembering all the good times he'd spent there.**

"**YOU!"**

**He jumped and turned around. "Umeda-sensei!" for some reason, he found himself feeling both nostalgic and nervous. He hadn't changed at all. He looked exactly the same - as if he hadn't aged a day. His glasses were a little different, very up-to-date fashion-wise. Other than that, he was still quite obviously self-absorbed, pleasure-seeking, and a pain-in-the-ass. But Nakatsu knew he had a soft-side - that he'd probably kill to keep hidden, but still… it was there. Otherwise, he'd never have left that letter out for him to read - so he could help Sano and Mizuki get together.**

"**What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out bouncing a ball off your head in Tokyo?" The doctor still had a dislike for anything physical other than sex, apparently.**

"**Yeah, it's good to see you again, too, Umeda."**

"**So are you looking for boys to try to stalk, Nakatsu?"**

"**That's your gig, not mine. By the way, how fun was it for you back then, watching me freak out thinking I was gay because of Mizuki?"**

**The doctor smiled slyly. "More fun than you could imagine."**

**Nakatsu remembered something and smirked. "That photographer still stalking you?" **

"**That's none of your business. But I'll tell you this, he could have made a fortune off his photos of you from that shoot if he'd wanted to. He's a pain in my ass, but he's got a really weird sense of morality."**

"**And that coming from you!" 'I'd forgotten all about that photo shoot!'**

"**Feh! You still haven't answered my question. Only staff, students, and guests who have signed in are allowed on this campus, and you know it."**

"**Like you've ever given a rat's ass about rules. But as it so happens, I'm staff. Or will be as of this afternoon. I'm going to be the new coach."**

"**You're kidding." His face was a dispassionate display of disbelief. "Well. This should be interesting."**

"**Yeah. I can't believe you're still here. I thought you'd have been arrested for perversion by now."**

**The doctor smiled at him and turned toward his office. As he started walking, he called over his shoulder. "Glad to have you back. This place has been pretty boring these past few years. And you're such an easy mark."**

**Nakatsu smiled and continued on his way.**

**X**

**Contract signed, he made his way into town to a local building inspector's office. He'd had several calls with the realtor already that day. Kitayama had responded that 25 Million yen was not enough, but he'd be willing to accept 29. Nakatsu had countered with 27.5. And Kitayama had accepted. Now Nakatsu wanted to meet the inspector before officially hiring him. **

**The inspector agreed to do a run through for a very reasonable rate, and seemed to know his stuff. Assuming the findings matched the report he'd received from the realtor, he could theoretically be in the house within a week.**

**As he left the inspector's office, he saw a florist across the street. With a smile that made passers by stop and smile in turn, he crossed the street.**

**X**

**Breakfast again. She knew she'd be assaulted. But she had a boyfriend. They could all go to… their first class knowing that she didn't give a rat's ass what they thought of her. Naoko and Hisa pestered her the whole time, but Midori and Nyoko smiled softly - like they could TELL she was in love, and that nothing could get to her. Sakura was just proud of her.**

**After classes were done for the day, she invited Sakura to a game of tennis. She knew Sakura would kick her ass - Sakura was practically pro material - but she didn't care. It was fun to be running around with her best friend.**

**Just before 3pm, Sakura and Kyoumi made their way from the locker room near the tennis courts (after showering, of course) to their room.**

"**What are you doing on your date tonight?"**

"**I don't know, he said he wanted to keep it a surprise."**

"**How the hell can you dress if you don't know what you're doing?"**

"**Well, he said that he wanted to take me someplace nicer than Auntie O's. And he said I should wear comfortable shoes."**

**Sakura bit her forefinger in thought. "Hmmm. Well. Let's figure a nice dinner - fancy restaurant - and then maybe… dancing? Or a long moonlit walk? Yeah. Let's go with that. We'll have to put you in clothes that look elegant, yet are light and flowing - so that if you're dancing they'll move with your body, of if you're on a walk, a breeze will make the fabric flow. "**

**Pulling her roommate behind her into the room, she then forced her into a chair as she ran around.**

"**Geez, Sakura. What are you, my own personal beautician?"**

**The slender nymph spun to face her and put her hands on her hips. "No. I'm your best friend. And you're in love. And I'm going to do everything in my power to help you realize that he's in love with you, and that you're going to end up being happy together, so that even if I never find a love of my own, I can believe that true love exists and I can live vicariously through you." Then she stuck out her tongue and got back to work.**

**This time, she put the girl's hair into a French roll in the back, but she worked in some artistic braids to hold it in place and act as decorative loops. It was quite a work of art. And for make-up, she went a little more dramatic. Still working with colors that were natural, she took the shades more into the extremes so that she looked real, but not so that she looked like she was denying wearing make-up. The eyeshadow was a burgundy brown, a pink, and silver for accent. Eyeliner made her eyes look almost Egyptian, but still almost subtle. Blush was still pink and delicate. Lipstick was a kiss-me red.**

**Her outfit was composed of a dress that was shaped like something from 1950s America: narrow-waisted, full, mid-calf-length skirt, tight bodice that declared her curves loudly. But the fabric was washable silk, so the flares in the skirt moved with just a breath. It had spaghetti straps holding up the princess-line bodice. With a hunter-green velvet shrug-style jacket that just covered her shoulders and joined at the hollow of the throat with a rhinestone button, the mint-colored dress looked like it had been specially designed just for her. And the focus of anyone looking at her was SURE to be the diamond of exposed flesh between the shrug and the dress. Sakura lent her a rhinestone tennis bracelet-style watch to wear as arm-jewelry. And on her feet were strappy silver sandals with a 1-inch heel.**

**Looking in her mirror, she almost didn't recognize herself. The entire process had taken a full two hours.**

**Into a borrowed handbag, she was just placing her phone, her new journal, a pen, and the powder & lipstick that Sakura insisted she bring for touchups, when there was a knock on the door. She opened it up to a gigantic bouquet of every type of flower she could imagine. The vase itself was two feet tall. The bouquet another two above that, and two feet wide. Assuming that someone was holding it, she exclaimed, "OH! Um… Are these for us?"**

**The flowers wiggled like they were nodding.**

"**Oh. Gee. Um… Could you bring those in for us?" They nodded again. Kyoumi looked around the room, then ran over to her desk to clear a space. The flowers followed.**

**Sakura saw the delivery boy wink at her and mouth "Sssh" to her. She grinned from ear to ear. Then moved to block his progress to the desk. "Let's see who they're from!" She reached into the flowers and found a card, opened it. She stood so that she could see the delivery boy and Kyoumi, but Kyoumi could only see her and flowers.**

"'**Kyoumi-chan, I can't wait to see you tonight. With love, Shuichi.' Well… It looks like he had sweet dreams last night, too." She winked at the delivery boy in a way that Kyoumi couldn't see.**

"**Thank you for carrying those. You can set them here," Kyoumi said.**

**Looking intently at her roommate, she crossed her arms. "Kyoumi!" she scolded. "He's going to be here any second and you've smeared your lipstick!"**

"**I did?" She ran to the bathroom as their guest set the flowers down on the table.**

**As she stepped out of the room, the delivery boy turned to Sakura and whispered, "Thanks. You must be Sakura."**

**She smiled at him and shook his hand. "Yeah, and everyone knows who you are. How the hell'd you get in here without being attacked by the raving hordes?"**

"**The same way we got me past her."**

**From the bathroom, Kyoumi called, "Sakuraaa!" and Nakatsu ran to hide behind the bathroom door.**

"**Yes?" **

**Kyoumi stepped through the doorway toward her roommate. "I can't see it. My lipstick is really smeared?" She sounded worried. **

**Sakura made a show of examining her thoroughly. "Hm. It must have been the light. You look beautiful."**

"**As always." The masculine voice made the girl start and spin around, which caused the silk to flare and show off her calves. She stared at the handsome man leaning against the wall of her room.**

"**Oh," Sakura said, "by the way, that delivery guy is still here… Maybe he wants something?" Her voice was straight, but you could still hear the laughter in the tone.**

"**Sh- Shuichi!"**

**He came forward and took one of her hands, bowed and kissed it. "Are you surprised?"**

"**Yes, very!" She turned toward the gargantuan bouquet on her desk. "I've… never seen so many flowers in one place that wasn't a flower shop!"**

**With a sheepish grin, he said, "I didn't know what your favorite was, so I got a little bit of everything."**

**Sakura sat on the bed - or more like she somehow gracefully flopped into a sitting position on the bed - and said, "Violets - but they're out of season. Don't worry, you did good. And if you hadn't gotten this many, you never would have been able to hide your face and sneak past the teaming hordes of fangirls. And then I wouldn't have gotten the chance to finally meet you face to face and make sure you're good enough for my girl here." She cast a speculative, appraising eye over him and he felt like he'd been weighed and measured down to the ¼ ounce.**

**She waited for a response from him, but he was just staring at her roommate, with a big dopey grin on his face. Kyoumi was staring back, with a happy, shy smile of her own.**

'**Oh, man! They've got it BAD! I wonder if they can see how deeply they've both fallen.' Looking back and forth, she realized, 'Nah. They're too worried with all the "Is this real?"s and the "Does s/he feel the same?"s and the "Where will this lead?"s.' Internally she laughed. She was going to have so much fun with them.**

"**Hey, soccer-boy. I have a question for you," Sakura called. The couple started and both looked at her. "How were you planning to get OUT of here unnoticed?"**

**A look of D'OH! covered his face for about half a second. Then, he stood up tall. "Why would it matter to me if I'm noticed? I'm just a humble soccer coach. And one who's lucky enough to be accompanied by the most beautiful, most talented writer in Japan." Kyoumi blushed and looked around the room as if she were looking for a hole to crawl into.**

"**Don't rub it in, buddy boy. You've gotten to read her stories. You have no idea how envious I am of that."**

"**Yeah, well, I'm sure it's just because she didn't want you to get-"**

"**Nakatsu Shuichi, I swear if you say one more word about that, I will… Well, I don't know what I'll do, but I'll make sure it's something you don't like!" **

**Sakura turned to her roommate with an expression that was totally shocked. Kyoumi had stomped one foot and had her hands in tight fists by her sides. Slowly turning back to Nakatsu she said, "I have never, EVER, seen her this flummoxed. What's in that book?"**

**He looked at the woman he loved, whose emotions were roiling over her face. She was floundering somewhere between joy at seeing him, fear of her work being exposed, and frustration that the only things she could think of to use as punishment to him would most likely be at least as much of a punishment to herself. Then he turned back to the slender girl and said, "All I'm going to say is this: you're one of her favorite people. But I think you may have guessed that already." **

**He turned back to Kyoumi to make sure the answer he'd given was acceptable, and he saw relief on her face. Which was followed soon after with a smile filled with pure love. **

'**He's HERE! In my room!' Sakura nodded at her roommate. "No," she was silently saying, "It's not a dream. It's real. This is so frickin' cool!" Out loud, she said, "Well, I think I know a way to get you out of here so that you won't have to bring the horrors of St. Blossom onto your heads." When she saw that she had their attention, she pointed at her watch. It was 5:20. Dinner had started 20 minutes ago. "You lucked out, boy. It's stir-fry tonight, followed by chocolate cheesecake and brownies for dessert. In 5 minutes, there probably won't be a single girl who isn't already at the cafeteria or on her way."**

**They walked out the door five minutes later, Sakura tossing a "Have fun!" over her shoulder before she, too, headed toward dinner. The only two people they passed in the hall were Midori and Nyoko, and when they saw the couple, dressed for a night on the town, holding hands and stealing glances at each other, they just smiled and didn't interrupt. People newly in love… the joy of it can be contagious to the open heart.**

**X**


	7. 7 Second Date Not A Proposal

Chapter 7

She gaped as they entered Karaku. Known for its stately elegance and authentic Edo-style sushi, Karaku was an extension of the restaurant in Tokyo - very high class. Without reservations, there was no getting in. Period. They would rather have an empty restaurant than allow anyone in who hadn't had the foresight to call in advance. And you paid when you made the reservations - so that you wouldn't have to worry about the bill while you were there. You could just focus on the experience. High-class. And not expensive when you consider the quality of the food you'd get.

Her father had once mentioned that someday, when Tamami finally became a doctor, maybe she would take him there for his birthday. He'd been half-joking. But that meant he was half-serious. It really was one of those restaurants that you didn't go to except for very special occasions.

The host greeted them. "Nakatsu-san. Welcome to Karaku. We have your table ready, as requested."

'As requested?' She knew that reservations were required, but this sounded like more. They removed their shoes as they were led to their table. Every table was in its own room separated by paper doors. Nakatsu led her by the hand into their room. A table was set for two. A single iris sat in a blue-glass vase on the table. The lighting was in delicate paper lanterns that were painted with cherry blossoms on them. Two wall hangings were on the far wall - one depicted a green dragon in flight, the other a white crane standing in reeds.

Every item of decoration in the room was taken from her stories - random details. The dragon was from a story she'd written about wondering if she truly understood the boundary between reality and fantasy. The crane was in a story about tending the shrine. The iris… well, just about every story she'd written about her home life had a scene from their garden in it - her mother had planted irises there before she was born. The blue vase was a tiny detail from a story based on Sakura's strength of character. Cherry blossoms were from the one where she was just musing about the beauty of snow, how it covers everything, but doesn't really fix anything. She'd thought cherry blossoms were better. Because they looked as delicate falling, but when they blew in the wind, people welcomed it. And cherry blossom petals didn't hide anything.

"Shuichi…" she breathed, but she didn't know how to continue. He'd remembered this much of her stories? All these almost insignificant details?

He guided her to her place and she knelt at her place at the low table. Then he walked around and seated himself opposite her. Instantly, someone was there, setting up tea for them. As they sipped from their cups and stared at each other, another someone began setting the food in front of them.

The array was amazing. She saw the dishes being set out on the table, but couldn't fathom it. It was all truly beautiful. The presentation, the selection. She looked back up at him, and he was smiling at her.

"Shuichi, did you…?" She gestured to the vase, the lanterns, the wall hangings. He shrugged and gave a little nod.

"I… asked if they could set up the room for me… you know, special for you." He gave a little grimace. "Most people don't think I'm all that smart, or that I pay much attention to things. But I pay attention when it's important."

With an almost unnoticeable hand gesture toward the vase, he continued, "Your family and friends are the most important thing to you. And I'm… just really happy that I have a chance to be counted in that group." He looked down at the food, then back up at her, expression cautious. "Is this… I really wanted to take you someplace special tonight. I hope this is okay."

She shook her head in awe at him and said, "It's wonderful." Her stunned eyes shifted away from his face and up to the dragon on the wall. 'This is… He is… so much more than I dreamed he would be. I never thought he'd… care about my stories. I never thought he'd put so much effort into becoming part of my life.' She looked back down at him, as he was waiting for her to choose first. Reaching out with her chopsticks, she took a piece of salmon. "It's better than wonderful," she said and popped the fish into her mouth. Around the food he heard, "Mrm. Kawi-sahwa." Then she swallowed. "You have to try the salmon - it's… Kami-sama!" She picked up a piece of it and leaned forward to put the bite in his mouth.

He smiled and then opened up like a hungry bird so that she could drop the bite in. Never taking his eyes off hers, he took the offering. Concentrating on getting the food in his mouth, she didn't notice his stare until she looked up to see his reaction to the salmon. Their eyes locked, and after swallowing, he said, "Delicious," his voice a bit huskier than it had been earlier.

She gulped, blushed and looked back down over the table frantically searching for what to try next. 'God, she's adorable when she's flustered.' He started chuckling, and soon his laugh became contagious. She joined in, and as their giggle tapered off, they started eating and chatting.

By the time they finished eating, he'd pretty much told her his entire life story. She now knew all about his mom, his dad, their store, how he used to be a total spaz - which she found hard to believe. She also heard about his life after graduation, how he was scouted and eventually picked for the team - as a second choice for their last place on the team. The team's first choice had decided not to pursue professional soccer, but instead go to school, get a degree, become a professional something or other dealing with electronics.

She already knew about his high school dating experience - what little there was of it - so he told her about the few times he'd tried dating after he'd made the team. In all but two cases, he'd been set up by his teammates. Eventually, he'd put a stop to it and never had to worry about them setting him up again. He wasn't known for having a fiery temper for nothing. One time was all it took for them to get the point - he did not appreciate it and would not put up with it any more.

He understood that most guys were eager for an easy lay, but for him - he needed more to get him stirred up. And in every case, the girl had either been a brainless golddigger, or only interested in him because he was pretty and famous. He'd never been able to have a conversation with any of them. He'd never felt anything for them. They were all pretty, but only superficially so.

His hand lifted upwards then settled back on the table. "I know you don't always think being called beautiful is a compliment, but… your beauty is a part of… it comes from who you are even more than it does from your pretty face."

She blushed prettily, and looked down, away from him. Then she looked back up at the dragon. 'This… has to be real. I'm not this inventive. Am I?'

As she mused about reality, a server came in to ask if they needed anything else. Nakatsu thanked him and said no, they were actually about ready to leave for the next part of their evening.

"Next part?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. He nodded and smiled. "Well… I better powder my nose before we leave." She gracefully stood, and the server directed her to the rest rooms, where she did in fact powder her nose and reapply her lipstick. Then she came back, and he was waiting. They slipped on their shoes and slipped out the door.

He took her hand and they strolled to the next part of their evening.

It had gotten dark while they ate. As they walked along the streetlamp-lit street, she allowed herself to just soak in everything: being with him, the feel of his body next to hers, his hand cradling hers and his thumb unconsciously stroking her hand, bringing shivers of delight. She had no idea what was coming next, and it didn't really matter as long as she was with him.

Before long, a feeling began building. A thumping. A bass beat. A few paces more, and she could hear the rest of the music accompanying it. Somewhere ahead, a band was playing. They continued to walk, and she was surprised by the variation in the music. First they heard the end of a rock'n'roll song. Then the band began an old jazz tune, with a contralto doing American vocals. As the bandstand came into sight in the center of the park, they broke into an old, traditional folk tune, which they jazzed up. Every song they played was completely dance-able, and right in front of the stage was a cleared area where there were about 20 people dancing.

"I heard some of the students at Ohsaka talking about this today. I thought you might like to go." His shy smile was so endearing. He really was pulling out all the stops to try to please her. She squeezed his arm happily.

"I - I've never been to anything like this!" He found a seat on a bench, and they sat and watched both the band and the dancers for a few minutes. She recognized a couple of girls who were dancing from St. Blossoms. They hadn't seen her yet. She didn't expect they would anytime soon, either. They looked pretty wrapped up in their dates.

The folk tune concluded, and everyone applauded. Then, the band began a waltz. Smiling, Nakatsu stood and held out his hand to her. "May I have the honor of this dance, Kagurazaka-chan?"

She smiled and said formally, "It would be my pleasure, Nakatsu-kun."

He led her to the dance floor, where they began to glide through the steps. 13 years before, he had learned to dance for the St. Blossoms/Ohsaka Gakuen Christmas Ball. But back then, he was always awkward and clumsy. The steps were foreign, and he was so worried about making an impression that he continued to make mistakes. With Kyoumi in his arms, all he felt was the music flowing through him, the love flowing between them, and he moved with a grace that Fred Astaire might have envied.

Kyoumi was light on her feet, and the two of them swept across the dance floor. Their eyes were locked as they danced, and the rest of the world disappeared, leaving only the two of them and the music. Twirls and dips came naturally, as they allowed the music to give them full access to the joy they felt in each other's presence.

Soon, only three other couples remained on the dance floor, but all eyes - all the couples, all the onlookers, all the band members - were on the new couple, who were so obviously in love.

The band leader broke free from their grip for just long enough to direct the band to make a change in the play list. Instead of completing the waltz, allowing applause, then moving on to a jitterbug, the band kept playing. Continuing the current tune, with a gradual key shift and a subtle rhythm shift, they moved from the waltz into a more passionate piece with a 4/4 beat.

The couple barely noticed. They shifted with the music, continuing to dance. As the music became more passionate, their bodies drifted closer together, they held themselves more sensuously, allowed the music to clarify what they'd been feeling and weren't allowing to show. They continued in the dance, became the music. Before long, they were the only ones in the dance space. Everyone else was watching them with admiration or envy - as their personalities dictated.

The music wound toward the conclusion of the song, and without thinking, Nakatsu dipped her, then brought her back up tight to him and they kissed as the music stopped.

The raucous applause brought them back to their surroundings. They'd been prepared to turn to the bandstand and join in the applause for the musicians, but as they looked up, they realized their status as the lone couple on the dance floor. And not only was the audience applauding for them not the musicians, the musicians were applauding, too. They both turned a deep shade of burgundy and their eyes started darting around for a way to escape.

The band leader took pity on them, and drew attention back to himself. "Only those who have known true love can dance like that. Only true love can inspire the music that makes us move." As the attention left them, they quickly exited the dance floor. "And tonight… it's a night for love." The band broke into an old crooner's song. Excited couples got up to dance the sway-dance, where you just put your arms around your partner and sway to the music with no real steps. It was the perfect song for that.

The couple continued moving away from the crowd, until they reached a spot where they were alone, near a swingset, under a big tree. Realizing they were safe, they both burst out laughing. Through their laughter, Nakatsu's tongue became free. "God, I love you, Kyoumi." He was laughing while he said it, but once it was out, their laughter stopped. He turned to look at her stunned expression. "Is… Is it okay? That I fall in love with you? Do you mi-"

She pushed him back against the tree, kissing him. Then she pulled back and said, "Tell me I'm not dreaming." Her eyes were fierce. Intense.

He reached up and pinched her arm and she yelled. "You're not dreaming," he said. "I'm probably going too fast, aren't I?"

She pulled away from him suddenly and went and sat on the swings. He walked slowly over to the swing next to her and sat down. 'Did I blow it?' he thought in panic.

"For fourteen years, I've… missed you. I convinced myself that I was in love with you. I've read studies on this type of behaviour. It's not considered normal. And it's typical that you make the person out to be something they're not - something better than who they really are."

She paused in her speaking, and her swing began to sway. His thoughts were a repeating, 'Please, no. Please, no. Please don't… don't break me. I don't know if I could take it.'

"And now, here you are. And anything I pictured. It just doesn't match up. You're… so much…" Her hands gestured with her, "MORE than I ever dreamed. I… thought I loved you before. But now…"

She turned toward him, her eyes squenched tightly shut. His heart stopped in his chest as he waited for her to continue.

"My heart feels like there's not enough room to hold all that I feel for you. And I'm so scared. I'm so scared that this is real and I'm going to lose it, because it's what I thought I wanted, only it's so much better, and I'm so in love with you, Shuichi, I think I could DIE!"

Her voice picked up speed as she spoke, and she kept her eyes shut the whole time. When she opened them, he wasn't in the swing next to her. She frantically swung her head forward, looking for him, and jumped when his hands wrapped around her from behind, picked her up off the swing and held her to him. Her back pressed close against his chest, his arms wrapped around her and held her securely.

His breath was warm against her ear as he whispered, "I want you, Kagurazaka Kyoumi. I want to be by your side. Always." He kissed her neck, pushed her shrug aside to kiss her shoulder.

She twisted in his grasp and kissed him back. "Do you… want to go back to your hotel room?"

His fingers dug into her shoulders. "Yes. But we're not going to. Not until you're my wife."

'His wife!' She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "See, now I know this can't be a fantasy. Because I'd never leave me feeling this… this… GAH This horny!... without you just ravishing me right here."

His hands stroked up and down her back and she shivered in his arms as he said, "I really want to ravish you here, you know. Maybe someday, we'll come back here again…

"But I should probably get you home before I get weak and give in."

"I could get you to give in?"

His expression was exasperated. "I'm not made of steel, woman! Don't you know the effect you have on me!" Without realizing it, he'd glanced downward, and her eyes followed to the huge bulge in his pants. Then she saw him breathing slowly, concentrating on something unpleasant, and the bulge began to recede.

They walked home hand-in-hand, silently for quite a ways.

"Shuichi?"

"Yeah?"

"You… did you propose to me?"

He smiled. "No. That wasn't a proposal. Not yet."

"Oh. Okay." She paused for several paces. "Not yet?"

"When I propose, you'll know it," he said, "And I hope you'll say yes."

They walked for several more paces.

"That will not be a problem."

A few more paces.

"Did you just agree to marry me?"

A few more.

"To do that, you'd have to ask me first."

The rest of the walk to St. Blossoms was silent. At the front gate, they kissed deeply, and she felt his steel come back, against her lower abdomen. "God, I love you."

They broke, and she went inside as he went back to his hotel for another night of dreaming.

XX XY XX XY XX XY


	8. 8 Gifts

Chapter 8

The inspection on the house - for the most part - matched the inspector's report he'd received from the realtor. His inspector, though, noted that the roof would likely need to be replaced within five to ten years, and that there was a loose board on the back porch that needed repair. It was quite thorough. Nakatsu was pleased.

On top of that - almost like it was fate - both he and Kitayama used the same bank as the realty company. So instead of having to file a ton of paperwork for withdrawing the money, then having to carry the paperwork for the money transfer over to the realty company, who would then have to arrange for payment to Kitayama, everything was done through ONE visit of the realtor and Nakatsu to the bank. The title was transferred. The keys were handed over. One week to the day, after seeing the house for the first time, he owned it.

During that week, he'd gone on three more dates with Kyoumi. One was an afternoon visit - they went to a movie, and then got some ice cream. The second was on a Sunday and lasted all day. They took a bus to an amusement park, and rode rides all day long. On Monday, she had commitments at school that she couldn't get out of. So the third, on Tuesday, was back at Auntie O's again, followed by a walk through the park again.

It wasn't like everything they did was fabulous and outstanding. Only his buying of the house, and his planning of their second date could be described that way. But somehow, everything was just… better when she was there. Conversation. Comfortable silence. Giggling over silly things. Sharing food. It was truly odd: when he stopped to think about it, he couldn't really name why it was that he loved her.

Yes, she was beautiful. Yes, she was incredibly intelligent. Yes, she was creative. And nurturing. And responsible. And it was also true that she loved him. But he knew that none of these single reasons were the reason he was in love with her. In fact, it wasn't even the combination of all these reasons that formed the basis of his love.

The more time he spent with her, the more… solid it seemed. His love for her was immutable. Unchanging. More durable than the pyramids. It was a thing not to be questioned, because the questions couldn't touch it. It just was.

On Wednesday, he checked out of the hotel, and dropped his bags off at his new house. Then he locked the door, and made his way to the airport.

He'd told her the night before that he'd be gone for about a week. He had to pack up his apartment, transfer the papers for Kisho to officially purchase it, and arrange for a trucking company to ship all his stuff to his new house. It actually only took three days.

He didn't really own that much stuff. His packing consisted of about 20 photo albums, three scrapbooks - one for each Sano child's artwork. Plus another rather large box that he put all his random photos and artwork in - all the stuff magneted to the refrigerator, or pinned to the wall, taped to the mirror, propped up on the desk, etc. Actually, pulling those down and organizing them into the box took most of his packing time. He also had a set of dishes, glasses & silverware, some pans, his clothes, shoes. A bottle of shampoo plus conditioner in one. Toothpaste, toothbrush, shaving cream, razor, soap, deodorant - he had his travel toiletries - that he'd left at his new house, and his stay-home toiletries that he had to pack now. His entertainment system: stereo, flat-screen TV, PS2, some DVDs and some games. A few CDs. A box of trophys and awards he'd won. His laptop. The soccer ball that he scored the winning goal with for the first time on his team - the one that made the team start to think of him as a good recruit. His diploma. A box of his correspondences with Sano Izumi and Sano Mizuki.

For Kisho, he left most of the furniture - what there was of it: A desk, a dining room table and chairs, an entertainment center, a chest of drawers, a sofa, a few end tables, a nightstand, his futon. All he really wanted to take was his leather vibrating recliner. The rest of it, he'd replace with better stuff - stuff that Kyoumi might like. And Kisho could use the stuff. He was just moving out of his parents' house for the first time - he'd lived at home for the first two years he'd been with the team.

He especially wanted to get a western style bed for his new house. One he could picture Kyoumi sleeping in. Beautiful. With a soft comforter, and a fluffy pillow that supported her precious face. And a dressing table with a mirror that she could sit at and brush her hair - and he'd lie in bed just watching her. Just the thought made him smile.

When he finished packing, he realized that he had three days left before the movers would show up to pick up his boxes. Setting the boxes and his chair to one side of the entryway, he called Kisho to let him know that if he would let Nakatsu crash on the sofa, he could move in early - and he'd help him move his stuff, too.

There is nothing like helping a friend move to cement the friendship. Kisho was so happy, that he eagerly agreed that Nakatsu could stay at the apartment any time he wanted to visit Tokyo - even if Kisho was entertaining a girl!

Nakatsu helped him move in on his fourth day in Tokyo. A day of heavy labor, moving boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff out of Kisho's parents' house, and into the apartment, was just what he needed - he felt exhausted yet energized at the end of the day.

The mortgage company put the cost of the apartment into Nakatsu's bank account, replenishing it for his shopping needs, and Kisho would now being paying off that mortgage for 10 years - the length Nakatsu had lived there - although Nakatsu had paid it off in just 4 years.

On day five in Tokyo, Sunday, Nakatsu went shopping. The movers would be there the next day. It made sense to go shopping and look for stuff before they got there. His first stop - a furniture store. After looking at 75 different beds, he realized that he would not be able to buy one without her there. What if he bought it and she hated it. He knew she wouldn't call it quits over something like that - but why get something that she'd hate? He'd rather have her go shopping with him and pick stuff out.

As he walked out of the furniture store, feeling defeated yet excited at the prospects ahead of him, he glanced to his right and saw it. He walked into the store like a man in a trance. "May I help you?" the shop clerk inquired. He pointed to the window. The clerk smiled and glided toward the window to pull out the item from the display. She came back with a small box. Nestled within it was a beautiful princess cut diamond ring with trillion cut emerald baguettes on either side, in a brilliant platinum setting. This was it. The ring he would propose with.

"How much?"

The girl smiled at him. "So Nakatsu Shuichi is retiring to marry a girl, eh?"

He blinked at her. "No. No. That's… I mean, I'm retiring. And I'm going to propose - eventually. But… this ring is perfect." He paused for a second. It would be better if he could get her something right away… It was too early to propose - he had to be smart about that - but it would be so great to give her something… Nakatsu looked up at the saleswoman. "Listen, do you have a bracelet or a necklace that would look right with this ring?"

Her smile grew and she directed him to a tennis bracelet that alternated emeralds and diamonds, a necklace that featured a drop pendant with a trillion-cut emerald and two small princess-cut diamonds above it so it looked like an arrow pointing down. There were matching earrings for the necklace as well.

They were all perfect. They would look so amazing on her.

"How much?"

"For all of them?" He nodded in response. "Well, the list price is 3.5M yen. But if you're going to buy it all, I'm not going to charge you list price."

Staring at the jewelry in front of him, he knew it was perfect. He really wanted her to have it. Even if she changed her mind and dumped him tomorrow - it would look just so good on her. But would she think it was too much? Cocking an eyebrow at the woman, he asked, "If a young man were dating you, and he bought you all this, what would you think? Would you think… it was too much? Or…"

She saw him struggling, and couldn't help herself: she patted his hand. "How long have you been dating her?"

"Officially? Almost two weeks."

Her eyes popped out before she got them under control. 'Only two weeks and he wanted to buy her all this?' "You've only known her two weeks, huh?"

"No. I met her 14 years ago - back when she was just a girl. But… she was just a girl, then. Now, she's…" He paused as he struggled to explain.

"That's why… I'm worried. I mean. I am going to marry her." The salesclerk smiled at the conviction in that statement. "But… I don't want to make her uncomfortable. Would it be… gauche to… get it all now, but give it to her a piece at a time?"

"Personally," she beamed at him, "I think this is one lucky woman! I wish I could meet someone who wanted to shower me with gifts. You're… more interesting than the articles would have you believe. I'll tell you what. You buy all of these items together, and I'll only charge you 2M yen."

He smiled at her broadly, and she felt her heart melt. 'Oh, God - why can't I meet a FREE man like this?'

"Sold."

She began ringing him up, and he wandered around the store. In the far counter, he saw a sterling silver fountain pen that was engraved with a dragon. He pointed at it. "This, too!" he shouted. She added it to the pile. His total came to 2,025,000 yen. He paid by debit card, and left the shop grinning from ear to ear.

Now, all he had to do was figure out when to give her each piece, and in which order… He started puzzling over it, and finally, it came to him: SAKURA! She'd know when he should give Kyoumi each piece.

God, he missed her. He hadn't seen her in days. He'd been calling her every day since he left, but somehow, even though it made him feel better, it still made him miss her even more. He fell asleep on the couch that night after calling her, still holding the phone up to his face - like that could bring him closer to her. In his dream that night, he was married to her, and they had two kids, a boy and a girl. He was holding her close, and she looked up at him smiling and told him she was pregnant. He'd never been that happy. Kisho was surprised when he came home to find Nakatsu asleep on the couch and laughing.

X

Sakura had never seen Kyoumi this happy in the entire time she'd known her. Naoko and Hisa weren't talking to either of them any more. Apparently, Nyoko had been on a date in the park and had seen Kyoumi and Nakatsu dancing, and had been talking to Midori about how amazingly, wonderfully in love the two had looked - like something out of a fairy tale - and Naoko had overheard and told Hisa. Naoko seemed to take it as a personal affront that neither Kyoumi nor Sakura had immediately gone to her to tell her about Kyoumi's blooming relationship. And Hisa had become convinced that Kyoumi was some kind of football-hating vampire that was sucking the life out of Japan's brightest star.

It was kind of funny - except for how hurtful it was. At first Sakura was worried that this would hurt poor Kyoumi. She knew her roommate took things much more to heart than anyone else she knew. But Kyoumi was on cloud nine, and barely noticed. When she did notice, she just laughed and shook her head. Sakura was proud of her.

And she knew that the girl would never admit it, but she was a little glad that Nakatsu was out of town. As much as she missed him, the fact remained that she was just BOILING with creative energy, and this gave her more time to write.

Plus, Sakura had noticed that there was a sort of strained quality to her roommate every time she came home from a date with her new boyfriend. The boy just wouldn't give in - he was determined to wait until they were married. Sakura suspected that if Kyoumi had to spend every day with that boy and never got him to touch her, that her roommate might just explode. Still, it was so honorable - amazing that there could be a guy like that in all of the world. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd seen the strain in Nakatsu's face, too, she'd have thought the guy was gay and using Kyoumi just as a beard.

And of course, if that were true, she'd have to kill him. So it was a good thing that he was suffering as much as Kyoumi.

Over the past 5 days, Sakura had gotten pretty good at listening for Kyoumi's phone and managing to not be in the room for more than 5 seconds after the first ring. By the time Kyoumi said, "Moshi moshi," she always had privacy to talk to her boyfriend. While part of Sakura kind of wished she could eavesdrop, the other part reminded her - too sweet - will cause cavities! They were sickeningly cute.

Now, it was day six. Nakatsu was due home that evening. Kyoumi wasn't sure if she'd see him, but he'd be in town and that was enough. She practically floated the whole day, and Sakura just loved seeing her best friend truly happy.

She was hanging out in the lobby - expecting Kyoumi would need private time for a phone call soon - when the person at the front desk called out for her, "I've got a call for Sakura! Can someone let her know?"

Standing up, she called, "I'm here." As she got up to the public phone, she asked the receptionist, "Did they say who it was?"

"He said it was the flower delivery guy."

Her brow crinkled as she took the receiver. "Hello?"

She heard a sigh of relief on the phone. "Sakura, thank god! I thought for sure the receptionist would figure out who I was and then Kyoumi would know that I called you."

Instinctively, Sakura crossed her arms and scowled. Was this guy going to try hitting on HER now? Her fears were short lived, though.

"I… I need your help. I want to give Kyoumi… I… bought her some stuff, but I'm kinda scared to give it to her, and I thought you know her so well. You'd be able to tell me what I can give to her when, so that I don't make her feel like I'm completely insane or something."

He sounded so incredibly like a puppy - eager to please, but confused about his training. She laughed out loud. "What did you have in mind?"

"Could - could you meet me at the little coffee shop next to Auntie O's? I've… got it all with me, and I could show you and… you'll let me know if you think she won't like it, right?"

"I'll be there in 10 minutes, Romeo. You're so funny."

"Thanks, Sakura."

"De nada."

X

She went back to her room long enough to grab her purse and a book. "I'm heading out for some coffee. I'll try to stay out of the room so you can have some privacy when LOVERBOY calls you," she teased. Kyoumi stopped writing long enough to turn around and stick her tongue out, and Sakura laughed as she exited.

X

Nakatsu was holding a burgundy bag and pacing next to a booth as Sakura entered the coffee shop. On the table, there was a cup of black coffee, and a mocha latte. He saw her, smiled, gestured her over and sat in the booth by the coffee. That meant the mocha latte was for her.

"How did you know that mocha latte was my favorite?"

He paled and then tried to look nonchalant, "Kyoumi told me."

"I take it she told you indirectly, eh? So how many stories has she written about me?"

He bit his lip then said, "I refuse to answer on the grounds that Kyoumi would never forgive me if I did."

"That many, huh?"

He looked at her intently. "You're as important to her as if you were her sister by blood."

Sakura was surprised to find that she was blushing, so she changed the subject. "So bring out the prizes, loverboy!" she commanded before taking a sip of mocha latte. He'd even already added one packet of natural sugar for her. 'What is that girl writing about?'

He set the bag on the table and began bringing out burgundy velvet jewelry boxes. Sakura's eyes got wide. She'd been expecting trinkets. This stuff was… REAL! Two boxes were small and square, one was a thin long rectangle, one was a thin medium length rectangle, and the other was a long wide rectangle. He opened the long rectangles first.

She gaped at the tennis bracelet and pendant. They were absolutely perfect for Kyoumi. The green of the emeralds would look even more brilliant against her pale skin. And he'd picked out jewelry in white gold, not yellow gold. Kyoumi always looked better in the cool white metal than in the warm yellow. "These are… amazing." She looked up at him. "You've got really good taste. These will look amazing on her."

Then he opened the medium rectangle. A dragon pen was there. It was a fancy fountain pen with two ink cartridges. Perfect for her to write in her journal.

Next, he took one of the smaller boxes opened it, then snapped it back shut before she could see. Setting that one down, he picked up the other square and opened it, revealing a pair of earrings that perfectly matched the necklace.

She caught his eyes and said, "You're right, though. You won't be able to give these to her all at once." Slowly, her hand began moving toward that last unopened box. Keeping his eyes, she gestured with her other hand. "In fact, for a first gift, any of these might be too much. Even the pen."

Her hand reached the target, and she quickly pulled it back to her. By the time he realized, he would have been forced to come over the table at her to prevent her from opening it. She popped the lid and gasped. He really and truly WAS going to marry her. She turned the open box back to him and said one word: "When?"

He shook his head. "When what?"

"When do you intend to propose?" He blushed and she said, "If you want me to come up with a timeline for the rest of these gifts, you need to tell me when."

He sighed. "After graduation, I'm going to invite her for a vacation to the place where we first met."

"End of March. Okay." Thinking, she began counting off on her fingers: "It's September now. Ring for proposal end of March. Necklace for White Day. Earrings for Valentine's Day - yeah, I know that's when she's supposed to give you stuff, but you can still give her something then, too. Tennis bracelet for Christmas. I'd do the pen for New Years. Either that or as a present for the wedding. But I'm betting you'll want to get her something else by then. So then definitely New Years." She nodded. "Yeah. That's what I'd do."

He thought it over. What she said made sense. Each item matched the occasion. And because it was all special days, she wouldn't have to feel uncomfortable about the gifts. "But I want to give her something NOW," he whined.

She shook her head and smirked. Standing up and grabbing her cup of latte, she said, "Grab your coffee, and let's go." He closed all the boxes and put them back in the burgundy bag.

"Go where?" he asked as he grabbed the coffee and followed her out of the store.

"To go find a present that's more suitable for you to buy your girlfriend of two weeks. Not two decades. Not two years. Two weeks." She kept walking at a fast pace, and he followed along.

"See, you're a guy, so you don't understand women & jewelry. But that's probably a good thing. Anyway, There's two types of jewelry: Everyday & Fancy. Now, there's ALL kinds of variations on the two of these - we're not going to get into all the subcategories. Neither of us have that much time." She jumped over a crack in the sidewalk. Then took a deep chug of her latte, finishing with a "Mmmm."

She spun to face him. "Now, good sir, the jewelry that you have purchased, that belongs in the fancy category. In fact, it's in the fan-CEEY subsection of the fancy category. Which means that a woman will NOT wear it more than a few times a year - on special fancy occasions.

"Every woman loves fancy jewelry. But we all know it's impractical. It's so beautiful - we couldn't possibly wear it every day. We might damage it. Or lose it. So most of the time, it sits in a jewelry box, and we dream of the occasion when we might possibly get the chance to wear it.

"So when a guy gives a girl fancy jewelry, he's promising that he'll give her lots of occasions to wear it - fancy dinners out, trips to the opera, things like that. Now I've seen your dating habits so far. I'm betting you'll start off your relationship doing about one fancy date a week. But after a couple months, it'll taper off to once a month. And after half a year, you'll be down to one fancy date every two or three months. You - you'll probably keep it at that rate for the rest of your lives - even after you're married and have kids."

She saw him about to protest and held up her hands to forestall him, "What? Women like fancy dates, but we really only want them every couple of months - just to break up the routine. But unless the girl is a total golddigger, she's going to prefer to spend quiet casual time - just doing things she enjoys with her man. And you know Kyoumi would prefer an evening alone with you - away from the rest of the world -" her tone INFLECTED the innuendo there, "to anything else.

"SO! That means that you need to get her everyday jewelry. Ah! Here we are!" She opened the door to the shop, and he entered. It was a jewelry store that sold mostly costume jewelry and some yellow gold and sterling silver. No platinum. No white gold. There were a few items with real gemstones, but they were small and imperfect stones - ones anyone could afford.

Entering the store behind him, she said, "Now, I know what you're thinking: Do I want to only get her jewelry as gifts? Is this setting a bad precedent? For any other girl, I'd say - get her something else! But Kyoumi… Did you know that every piece of jewelry she's worn on her dates with you has been borrowed? She never paid any real attention to that kind of stuff. When she was younger, her mom kept trying to buy her stuff to show off how pretty she was - but she was always afraid that people would focus in on her looks and then she wouldn't know if they really liked her for her."

"Now THAT I knew!" Nakatsu held one finger up to emphasize it.

"Ah! Here we are!" She'd stopped in front of a row of sterling silver lockets. "THIS! Is a perfect gift for a girlfriend of two weeks - or of two months. It's something she can wear every day. And if you take her to a photo booth, she can get a picture of the two of you to put in it." She took a saccharine-sweet tone to her voice and clasped her hands in front of her chest. "So that she can carry you close to her heart - every day!" she dramatized.

Nakatsu rolled his eyes. "You know, there's a reason why she puts you in so many of her stories, " he teased. She stuck out her tongue at him. "I think if I'd had a little sister, she'd probably have turned out like you. When you come to the wedding, I'm going to introduce you to my mom. I think she'll probably adopt you." He began to look through the lockets.

'WHEN I come to the wedding. There is not a shred of doubt in his mind. He's decided and he really means to do it… Man. No wonder we won so many football tournaments with him on the team…. OH! And no wonder Hisa's so pissed. He doesn't even realize that his confidence is probably what made them win.' She chuckled to herself. 'Yeah… I think he's good enough for my Kyoumi.'

"I wouldn't mind having you as brother, if it came to it, I suppose… I don't have any siblings, either."

He smiled slyly at her, "Whatever would Kyoumi think if I started calling you Sakura-imouto?" (AN: Imouto younger sister)

She laughed. "Why, I couldn't tell you, Shuichi-aniki." (AN: aniki older brother. Yea, I know. So does niisan - but with the san, it seemed a bit more formal, so I went with aniki.)

He pulled a locket off the rack and held it up for her to inspect. The locket was about 1 inch tall and ¾ inches wide - and only about 1/8 inch thick. It was in the shape of a book, and it had a cherry blossom engraved into the front of it. "This one, I think."

She smiled at him. "Aniki, it's perfect!" He reached out and hugged her.

X

He walked Sakura back to the coffee shop, and there they parted ways. "Thank you so much for your help, Imouto." He smiled at her fondly.

"If you want to pay me back, Aniki… could you PLEASE try to talk her into letting me read some of her stories? It's not fair that I just know she's a great author - but I have no real proof!"

He smiled. "Ah, but if you read them, then you wouldn't have faith in her just because it was her, now would you?"

She nodded her head in acquiescence and sighed. Then she turned around to head back to the school. "Be good to my girl, Aniki! Or I'll kick your ass!"

He laughed all the way back to his house.

X


	9. 9 Coming Home

Chapter 9

He walked up to the front door of his house. His almost completely empty house. The movers wouldn't be here until tomorrow - or maybe the next day. And apart from the bag he'd brought with him for his last trip, and the bag he brought with him this time, there was NOTHING in his apartment at all. No chairs. No tables. No bed.

Ooops. He'd forgotten about that. He also had no groceries. Laughing, he smacked himself in the head. He'd been so worried about getting a gift for Kyoumi, he'd totally forgotten his need to go shopping for himself.

He flipped open his phone to call his girlfriend. Part of him still felt silly for feeling so happy at that thought. 'I'm calling my GIRLfriend.'

She answered the phone, "Nakatsu!"

"I'm back for good. And I never want to be that far away from you ever again. Have you had dinner yet? Are you free?"

"I'm so glad, Me too, no, and yes. Where do you want to meet?"

"I'll pick you up at the front gate in 10 minutes. And… would you mind doing some shopping with me after dinner?"

"Sure! What for?"

"I'll tell you when I'm there. It's kind of embarrassing."

"Okay. See you in 10!"

"See you then, Kyoumi-ai." He said it fast - so fast that she wasn't sure she'd heard it. And he had hung up right after, so she couldn't ask.

'I probably imagined it anyway.' Still, her mind kept replaying it in her head: Kyoumi-ai.

X

They met outside the front gate 10 minutes later. He was in jeans and a black mock-turtleneck that clung to his broad, strong shoulders as if it were specifically designed to draw your eyes there. She was also in jeans - the first time he'd ever seen her in jeans - with a lacy camisole top, and a short cardigan over top. His eyes didn't know where to go. The jeans molded to her curves and made him want to moan. The lace floated across her cleavage, drawing the eye to her assets. And to top it all off, she was smiling so broadly - a smile he knew was only for him! Oh, and her beautiful hair trailed after her, blowing in the breeze.

Ignoring his baser desires, he picked her up into a loving embrace, and she whispered in his ear, "I'm glad you're back." He kissed her cheek, then blushed and set her down.

"Let's go!" he took her hand and led her toward food. "What are you hungry for?"

"Oh… I don't know. Anything…"

"You're thinking of something specific, I can tell," he said, his eyes examining her thoroughly. Hey, it was a good excuse to look at her.

"Um… it's not… very romantic." His expression spoke loud and clear: Anything with you is romantic to me. "Um…" she continued, "I was thinking I could really go for a Big Mac."

He laughed and then bowed formally to her. "Princess Kyoumi, your wish will always be my command." She pouted at him until he said, "No. Seriously… That sounds great - and it will leave us more time for shopping. I was hoping we'd be able to make dinner fast. I…" He cut off and looked away, embarrassed.

"I don't have anyplace to sleep tonight. So I kinda need to go buy a bed. Well, really, I need to buy furniture for the whole house. Well, really, I need to buy everything for the new house. I never really bought that much when I was living on my own, so I don't really have anything you need in a house."

"Oh!" She tried not to let her heart race when she heard him say he didn't have anyplace to sleep. 'You cannot invite him to stay in your dorm room. You can't. It wouldn't be fair to Sakura. Yeah, she probably could get Midori to let her crash in her room… But it wouldn't be right. And besides, he'll buy a bed, and then he'll be all set.'

"So will you help me pick out something that will look nice?"

She smiled up at him. "Sure!"

X

The bed in front of them was a four-poster king. The wood was a dark cherry. It consisted of simple square tapering posts, that rose to a height of 6 and a half feet. Atop those posts, was a decorative spire that extended another six inches. They could be left off if the ceiling was too close for them to look right in the space. A light frame - the slats were about ½" square - sat at the top that could be used to support a curtain-type canopy - one that could potentially block out the morning light on days you wanted to sleep in. The headboard was a piece of solid cherry between the two head posts, that started at 5 feet by the posts, then sloped to a height of 4 feet in the center, to give it a delicate line.

Overall, the bed gave a feeling of solid comfort - like you would never have to worry about ever needing another bed again. And like once you got into bed, you might have a difficult time wanting to get up again.

Kyoumi was staring at it with her eyes wide. If she had ever taken the time to dream up the perfect bed, this would have been it. Of course, she'd never done that, but still…

Nakatsu saw the look on her face and smiled. He gestured to the salesman and said, "This one." The salesman and he haggled over the price, and eventually - with Nakatsu's need to have it delivered right away factored in - came to an agreeable cost. The frame would be delivered to his house tomorrow - they couldn't get it there any earlier. They still had to pick the mattress.

That took a little longer.

"What about this one?" Nakatsu pointed to a pillow-topped mattress that had very pretty embroidery on it. But the thing that attracted him was that it claimed to have durable support. Kyoumi walked over to it, and pushed against it with both hands.

"Uh… seems okay?"

"That's not how you test a mattress, Kyoumi," he chided, then he spread himself out on the bed and patted the space next to him. "Come on up."

Her heart began to pound furiously. 'God! Does this man not know what he's doing to me?' She sat on the bed next to him. "It seems firm…" She turned to look at him, and he was smiling at her.

"Lie down and see how it feels."

She pulled back a bit and her eyes got wide. "I… Um… It doesn't matter whether I like how it feels, does it? I mean… it's going to be YOUR bed, not mine."

He blushed and broke from her gaze. "If it doesn't feel right to you… If it doesn't feel right to have you in it next to me… then I don't want it."

She matched his red, and laid down next to him. He rolled over, and put an arm around her waist. "So, how does it feel," he murmured in her ear.

"Well… YOU feel great. But the bed… seems a little squishy in the middle." He kissed her cheek, then sprung up from the bed.

"So! Not this one." He went over to another bed. "Let's try this one now!"

By the fifth or so bed, he got her to spoon with him to test it out. By the tenth bed, they were feeling a bit goofy and started to test the mattresses springiness - to see if when the other person moved around a lot, you'd be jostled too much in the bed.

When they finally found one they both liked, he pulled her into an embrace, still lying on the bed and in a bold moment, she whispered in his ear, "I can't wait to test this one out with you someday, Shuichi-ai." He moaned and pulled away from her. She sat up and crossed her arms. "Now you know how you've been making me feel this whole time." She stuck out her tongue at him.

Expression serious, he turned to face her. "I… will wait… to test this out… with YOU… only you… even if it takes 14 years or longer, Kyoumi-ai." Then he called to the salesperson and bought the mattress - so that it would be delivered with the frame.

Next, they looked at other bedroom furniture - nightstands, a chest of drawers. And while he conferred with the salesman about their choices, he also snuck an order in. There had been a dressing table with a beautiful and ornate stool, complete with a round beveled-glass mirror. It was beautiful, and he'd caught a reflection of Kyoumi in it and had to have it. But she didn't need to know that.

They then continued by moving into the dining room area. A table, some chairs, and a hutch, and he was set. Then the living room department. He would need a sofa, some end tables, some lamps, and an entertainment center. But they had no sooner begun looking at the sofas then a bell rang and a voice came over the loudspeaker announcing that the store was about to close.

He looked at her sheepishly. "Wanna skip class tomorrow and spend the day shopping with me?" She nodded. They walked in comfortable silence back to St. Blossoms. He put his hand in his pocket and felt the box there, still waiting to be given to her. His brow furrowed, and then he smiled. As they continued to walk, he guided her past a place where he knew there was a photo booth.

"Oh, look! A photo booth!" He spun to face her. "I've never had a girlfriend to take pictures with in one of these before." His face pleaded with her.

"Do you want to?"

"Yeah!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the booth. He paid the fee, and then he put his arm around her. The first two photos were taken, and he said, "I love you, Kyoumi-ai," with just enough time for her to blush deep red before the third was taken. Then he pulled her in for a kiss. The camera captured the two of them kissing for the fourth picture.

The kiss continued. She began to nibble on his lip, and in return, his tongue began to battle hers for dominance. They were hidden from public by the curtain, so their hands began to roam as well. One of hers was in his hair, and the other reaching for his ass. He had one of his hands on the back of her neck, and the other began to gently massage her breast - almost of its own volition. She moaned into his mouth, and he snapped into reality, pulling back and his hands away from her.

"Sorry. Sorry." He said.

She crossed her arms across her chest and looked away. "If you keep stopping every time I moan, you're just going to train me to be more silent," she grumbled.

He reached out with one hand and grasped her chin, turning her to face him and gazing deep into her eyes with lust and love hopelessly entwined there. "God, I hope not. It's just… that sound… makes me want to… lose control. And I'm having a hard enough time with that without-"

She gave a fake moan - but one that sounded real - and his eyes darkened. She watched him force his hands away from her. "That sound?" she asked sweetly.

Through gritted teeth, he replied, "Yes."

"Hm," she responded, nodding her head. "That's good to know." She began to leave the booth, saying, "I bet the pictures are done now." Over her shoulder, she tossed, "And by the way, I love you, too Shuichi-ai."

The pictures were adorable. He asked if he could have the middle two, and she agreed. He tore the pictures apart, placing his inside the photo section of his wallet. She saw a bunch of other photos, but he put the ones of them so that they'd be the first ones he'd see when he opened the wallet.

"Hey, who are the other pictures of?"

"My friends - the Sanos."

She was caught a bit off guard by the sudden twist in her heart - the stab of jealousy that overcame her. She knew she was being unreasonable, but that didn't stop her from grabbing hold of his hand and squeezing it - like a child holding a toy and saying, "Mine!"

They began walking toward the school again. They were about half-way there, when he stopped and sat on a street bench. He patted the seat next to him, inviting her to sit for a second. She looked at him questioningly, but still, sat where he had indicated.

"Kyoumi, I think… I'm thinking maybe those pictures might fit in here… if you want." He held out a black necklace box, and she gasped. Tentatively she reached out to take the box.

"When I saw it, I couldn't help but think of you," he said. 'Of course, I was thinking of you in the first place - that's why I was there looking. But that doesn't really matter - does it?'

She gasped again when she saw it. 'Sakura blossoms. And a book.' "It's wonderful."

"I'm glad you like it." He said, and he reached forward and pulled it out of the box, then walked behind her to help her put it on. The chain was nice and long, so that the book sat snugly between her breasts. She popped it open and saw there was room for two pictures - each about the size of the photo-machine picture.

"Thank you," she said shyly. "Now I'll never be without you again."

He patted his wallet. "Me either," he said, and held out his hand to help her stand, so they could continue getting her home. It was, after all, getting quite late.

Outside the gate, she began chewing her bottom lip, and then broke the silence. "The bed won't arrive til tomorrow. Where will you sleep tonight?"

He tossed up one hand as if it was nothing. "Oh, I'll probably just sleep on the tatami mats in the bedroom - no big deal."

She nodded at him and began chewing her bottom lip again. Then she nodded again. "Hold on a second," she told him, and pulled her cell phone out of her purse, pressed a speed dial number.

Listening to the conversation, he heard:

"Hi. It's me, Kyoumi."

"Um. I'm right out front. Can you meet me by the front gate?"

"I don't want to say over the phone."

"I just want to see if you agree with me."

"Okay. Thanks."

His head tilted in question, but she didn't answer. A few minutes later, Sakura appeared.

"So what's up?"

"Shuichi's all moved out of his apartment - but his boxes won't arrive until tomorrow. And we went to buy him a bed tonight, but that won't be delivered til tomorrow, either… So…"

"So I get to play chaperone while your boyfriend spends the night?" She smirked at them. "Okay - on one condition! No! Make that two conditions!

"First, if it gets too much for either of you, Kyoumi will have to share my bed and Nakatsu will be left with top bunk. There will be NO hanky panky while I'm in the room, if I'm not involved!" They both nodded at that.

"Second…" she paused for dramatic effect. "I get to read some of your stories - say…10?"

Her face scrunched up in a grimace. "Five, and I get to pick them."

"No way. 8, and I get to choose."

"To choose you'd have to read at least part of em all! No way. I have to pick them. And 6."

Nakatsu chose that moment to interrupt. "How about 7, and I get to choose them?"

Kyoumi looked at him and said, "Can I have veto power on the choices?" with a raised eyebrow that clearly said, "And if you choose something that absolutely pisses me off, I'll make you pay."

"How about you get three vetos that you can use, but once they're used up - that's it?"

"That would be acceptable," Sakura replied with a grin. Then she jumped up and down clapping. "Yay! I finally get to read some of your stories!" Suddenly, she stopped and whirled to face them. "And now! We have to get you in without anyone seeing…"

X


	10. 10 Punishing The Roommate

Chapter 10

In the end, they decided to forego the elaborate sneaky plan of dressing him up as "Sakura's Mother" or having him stand outside their window while they figured out a way to unscrew the screen to get him in. Instead, Sakura went ahead with her cell phone, called Kyoumi, and did a Matrix-esque guiding of them into the building unnoticed.

After they got him into the room, they realized he didn't have any pajama's with him. That began a 5 minute discussion on whether it would be unseemly for him to be in his boxer-briefs. Both girls were of the opinion that that would be fine, but he steadfastly assured them he could sleep in his clothes. Finally, the girls reminded him that he'd have to leave in the morning, and if his clothes were wrinkled, it would look suspicious - whereas if his clothes were fresh looking, they could pretend that he'd shown up only that morning to take Kyoumi out for some shopping.

Once that was decided, the girls took turns changing in the bathroom. Sakura came out wearing cotton sleep pants that were almost like sweatpants, but a little thinner and a lot more comfortable, and a t-shirt style top. Both girls looked to see if Nakatsu would react, but he barely appeared to notice that she'd changed clothes.

Kyoumi emerged wearing a pair of cotton pajamas with a cow & moon pattern on them. The pants came to just above the knee, and the top was styled after the standard men's pajama top - with big buttons and a pocket. Nakatsu's jaw practically came unhinged, and he quickly excused himself to go to the bathroom. Once he was in there with the doors closed, the girls busted out laughing. He'd chicken-walked the whole way there.

"Girl, you're gonna end up sleeping with me tonight - or that boy is going to be awake and uncomfortable all night."

Kyoumi blushed and smiled as she said, "We'll see."

There was a moment of satisfaction when he walked out of the restroom in just his boxer briefs. He'd heard them laughing at his discomfort. It had actually helped his problem to begin to recede. It took a few more minutes for him to get the problem to completely… go down. And it was the formation of his plan for revenge that helped him to… reverse the tide, as it were.

Once he'd decided and began stripping, he had a hard time not chuckling. He folded his clothes, and left them on the shelf in the bathroom. As he stepped out, both girls turned to look at him. Two pair of eyes got very wide. Two jaws fell open. Two pair of eyes started at his shoulders worked down his legs, came back up, stopping at the boxers, roved back to his shoulders again, blinked twice, then with a fierce yank, came up to his face again. He heard them both swallow hard.

He was very proud that he didn't even laugh. But deep down, he felt pretty damned good. He'd never really thought of himself as that good looking - he was no Nanba, no Sano. And the only time that had ever bothered him was when Mizuki used to stare at Sano and barely notice him. Even though he'd been chosen to be in that photo shoot right along with Nanba, Sano, and Mizuki, it didn't mean anything to him really - it was just fun trying to get close to Mizuki.

So to have two high school girls stare at him in his boxer shorts as if… well, as if he were totally hot, that was just… kinda cool.

"So… we're up top, right?" He walked past them toward the bunk bed, and both girls' eyes followed him. As he passed, their eyes were drawn to his perfect, firm ass.

"Oh my dear god," Kyoumi muttered as Sakura breathed, "Daaaaamn! Now neither of ya are gonna sleep."

Nakatsu jumped up into the bunk with barely any effort. Then he reached down with one hand to Kyoumi. She took his hand and he easily lifted her up next to him. Sakura chuckled as she climbed into bed. Her poor, poor roommate.

As soon as she was up in the bunk with him, he pulled her into his embrace, tilting her face up, and kissing her deeply. When they broke, he smiled, and they laid down and tried to find the right position for sleep. She curled up facing him, their arms wrapped around each other's waist, her head snuggled up against his chest.

His face buried in her hair, he breathed in her scent deeply. He had thought that he'd have difficulty relaxing. She was lying in bed next to him. Her body pressed against his. Neither of them had much clothing on. All he had on was his cotton-poly-blend underwear. Her cotton pajamas were as soft against him as her skin. Their legs were alternating, with lots of skin touching. So why was it that the rabid thoughts of pinning her beneath him and fucking her until she screamed his name in ecstasy were… muted and calm? Did that mean he wasn't interested in her like that? For a second, he focused on her soft breasts pressed against him, the feel of her legs between his, and he thought about rolling her over and - Feeling his heartbeat begin to accelerate, he quickly abated that thought and breathed in the soothing scent of her hair again.

It must just be that, with her there, he felt truly comfortable - in a way he never had before.

She was sighing softly into his chest, feeling like for the first time in her life, she was finally home.

They slept the sleep of the just. Meanwhile, beneath them, Sakura tossed and turned, ears straining to hear something that she could call them on. When she did finally fall asleep, it was mostly out of exhaustion from frustration.

X


	11. 11 Touching Home

Chapter 11

In the morning, Kyoumi woke up to a hand stroking her back. She moaned happily and snuggled deeper into the warmth of Shuichi's arms. Then she realized what she was snuggling in to. Her hips rubbed right up against it. Her eyes popped open, and she lifted her head to look at him. His eyes were closed, and she could tell that he was concentrating really hard - the way he always did when he was trying to make a certain muscle relax. She'd already seen that look enough to recognize it. Closing her eyes, she decided to pretend she was still asleep and tease his morning wood. Making what she hoped was a sleepy moaning noise, she shifted like she was trying to get comfortable and ended up on top of him, her hips molded to his. Head snuggling and rubbing against his chest, her hips were still "trying to find a comfortable position" rubbing against his package in a sensuous grind.

Hands grasped her shoulders and lifted her off of him with a swift movement. He growled, then snarled at her, "Dammit, woman! Are you trying to make me lose my mind!"

She smiled at him and held up one hand, forefinger and thumb about a centimeter away from each other, admitting that she was trying just a bit. "It seemed a shame to… let this go to waste." Her hips worked against his again and he groaned.

"I take it we're all awake now. And yes, that does include me. Sakura. The roommate who allowed you to let your boyfriend sleep over. I hope you don't plan on making me regret it." She sounded a bit cranky. Well, she never was much of a morning person. The couple sprang apart from each other, then giggled.

They all got up and took turns taking showers. Then, when it was appropriately late enough where it wouldn't appear as if anything unseemly had happened, and all the other students were at class, Kyoumi and Shuichi left to go finish shopping.

He needed to be back at his house by 5:30 to accept the deliveries of the furniture he'd already bought, and the movers were scheduled to drop his stuff off at 6. That meant they had 8 ½ hours to buy living room furniture, a desk for the library, bedding: sheets, blankets, pillows, bedskirt, etc., shower curtain, bath towels and wash cloths, dish towels and dish cloths, and maybe some kitchen appliances like a toaster and a blender - basically, everything to build a house.

They felt like an engaged couple, who was registering for their wedding gifts. Several times, the shopkeepers mistook them for newlyweds or soon to be newlyweds. Kyoumi blushed every time that happened, and Nakatsu just thought, "Soon." Luckily, they got all the furniture shopping done early enough so that the store sent the order electronically to the warehouse, and everything - including the stuff he'd ordered the night before - would show up at the same time.

By 5pm, they were already back at his house, each of them laden with several bags from their shopping spree. Their current bounty was composed mostly of linens, but Nakatsu also had a few kitchen items as well. Spreading everything out on the kitchen counter, Kyoumi began to organize things for putting them away into cabinets.

The furniture arrived on time, and the delivery men assembled the pieces that needed assembly in the location that Nakatsu specified. Nakatsu kept Kyoumi occupied with organizing the living room so that she didn't see the delivery men bring in the dressing table.

By 6, the store delivery truck backed out, and by 6:10, the movers backed in. They brought in the recliner, set it in with the rest of the furniture for the living room, and then put the kitchen and bedroom boxes in the appropriate rooms. After they'd left, Nakatsu put his hands on his hips and turned to the lovely woman who was inspiring him to be so much more than he'd ever really thought he'd be.

"Dinner now? Or should we continue to put stuff away for a while."

Tapping her forefinger on her lip, she paused in thought. "Let's put away stuff. Then, maybe we'll be all done and dinner will be a celebration!"

They continued unpacking. Kyoumi put away all the kitchen stuff - dishes, glasses, pans, linens, appliances. Nakatsu said he wanted to set up the bedroom by himself. He put the sheets on the bed, added the bedskirt, put the comforter in the duvet cover, put the pillows in cases and/or shams as needed. Then, he added the draping fabric that wove through the canapy frame. Nightstands to either side of the bed then had lamps placed on them and plugged in.

"Hey! Do you need me to help out in there?" She was just about to walk into the bedroom, but he jumped up and blocked her way and her view.

"Um. NO. Um. You know what? Could you organize the bathroom for me?"

She shrugged. "Okay. She went back to grab all the bathroom items that they'd purchased, and set up the bathroom with that, and with all the stuff that was in the moving box labeled, "bathroom".

He grabbed the boxes with clothes in them and put them all away - in the closet and the chest of drawers. And from out of the closet, he grabbed the boxes of jewelry that he would have to wait for months to give her and put them in the bottom drawer of the dresser he'd gotten for her.

"I'm done!" she exclaimed as she entered the bedroom. Then froze. The bedroom… looked like… It looked like what she'd dreamed of once when she was younger. The perfect bedroom. The bed looked like it belonged in a palace, to a princess. The dressing table mirror reflected her awe back at her - and also made the room look even larger than it was. The only thing missing was artwork on the walls, and a brush set on the dresser.

He turned to see her frozen in disbelief. "Do… do you like it?"

No words. She just nodded her head slowly. His smile lit up the room, and she turned to him. "But it doesn't look like a boy's room."

"Does it look like the room of a romantic man?" His smile faltered a bit.

She shook her head no. "It looks like… a married woman's bedchamber. When… when did you pick out that?" She was pointing at the dressing table.

His smile reasserted itself. "When you were looking at something else."

"Why?"

"Because…" he blushed. "I thought you'd look perfect brushing your hair at it."

"Are you saying you want me to stay over?"

"Eventually." He came toward her, and she knew he was going to embrace her. She didn't expect him to pick her up, bridal style, and carry her over to the bed, then toss her on so that she bounced.

She laid back and looked up at the draped fabric overhead as he laid down next to her. "Do you think I'm… ridiculous? Or dumb?" he asked.

"Huh?" She rolled over to face him, her face scrunched with confusion.

He rolled onto his back, looking up. "We've only been dating two weeks. Am I dumb to think the way I do - to already be thinking of you as my… as being a part of my life for the rest of my life? To want that?" He rolled to face her before she could answer, and said, "Am I moving too fast? Will I scare you away?"

Her eyes scanned his face, and saw there was genuine fear there. Her hand brushed against his cheek. Then she laid down on her back, but closer to him than she was before.

"I'm going to tell you something. Ever since I first met you, when I was three… For fourteen years…" She was finding it extremely difficult to actually speak her thoughts. "Even though I never let myself really believe that I would ever… that YOU would ever… be interested… care about me… Still. You've been important to me for practically my whole life. So now I keep wondering… Have I lost my hold on sanity? Am I an idiot for being here with you? For thinking that you're so much more than I ever dreamed that it HAS to be real?" She rolled over to face him now. "Am I kidding myself?"

Their eyes locked. Vulnerable and scared, they searched to see… is it real? Am I the only one who's terrified? The reflection was perfect - it was clear. They were a mirror image of each other's feelings - from their fear of rejection through to their determination to try.

Eyes still locked, the fear began to dissolve and smiles began to play on their faces. And then…

Mouths met in need, plundering each other, arms wrapped around, hands grasping hungrily, legs wrapping in between each other. Her hands began pulling his shirt out of his pants, desperate to touch him. Once they worked the shirt free, up the back they went. She could feel electricity shoot between her fingers and his skin, and he moaned into her mouth. His knee worked between her legs, rubbing firmly against her apex, and her hips began grinding into the pressure his leg was making. His mouth moved from hers, to her ear, he began sucking on her earlobe, flicking it with his tongue until her gasps became moans.

"I love you, Kyoumi," he whispered into her ear, and she moaned again.

"God, Shuichi!" she squealed as he began lapping at her neck. "Oh, god, I love you so much!"

His hands pulled at her shirt, and she released him so that he could pull it off her. He stood looking at her in just her bra and moaned. She got on all fours and began crawling over him. Straddling his hips, he could feel the heat from her center blazing against his proof of desire. Her fingers began unbuttoning his shirt, and once it was open, they traced circles on his chest. The electricity crackled, and he moaned and arched his back up into her touch.

Her hips thrust against his, reveling in the sensations that began to fill her. She leaned down and kissed him, and then broke the kiss to stare into his eyes. "God, I want you, Shuichi." Her eyes were tearing with frustration, and her hips kept the motion going, but there was more. She knew there was more. And she'd only find release from the tension that was threatening to collapse her into a black hole with him. She was sure of it.

His eyes reflected her own desire. "Oh, Kyoumi," he moaned. And then he grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place. He could feel her moist heat - it had worked through both their jeans. If it wasn't for denim, he'd be inside her. He moaned again. Closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, and as he lifted her off his lap, she could feel him trembling. He sat with his eyes closed, shaking for a second, and she didn't know whether it would be okay to touch him or not.

"I want you, Kyoumi," he said in a strained voice. "But I want you forever. I want you, God, I want you. But I want us to be married before… before I… I'm sorry. God, I just want to throw you down right now and fuck you so hard. And I don't know how much I can hold myself back when you're on me like that."

He turned to where she was sitting, and saw the frustration on her face. He understood perfectly - he felt frustrated as well - he wanted so much to just… already be married to her. But he wanted to give her time to make sure she really did love him. To make sure that he wasn't crazy. That didn't mean that she needed to suffer, however. Smiling at her gently he said, "Kyoumi, will you let me pleasure you?"

"Shuichi… I want you inside me. I want to be yours. I want you to be mine."

He shook his head. "I already am yours. Let me show you."

She looked confused, so he said, "Lie back. Let me show you how much I love you." It was like he'd reached the center calm of his storm. She could see him at full attention still, but it was like as soon as he began to focus on her, the tension abated. She laid on her back, and his hands. Oh, god, his hands.

They delicately traced over her arms, her breasts, fingers tweaked her nipples through her plain white bra. She arched her back, and her hands reached out to touch him. "Ah, ah, ah," he said. "You don't need to touch me. Just lay back and let me please you." Hands traced down her sides, then ran under the edge of her waistband. He began to unbutton and unzip her jeans, then he worked them down over her hips and thighs, his fingers lightly brushing her skin the whole way down.

When the pants finally came off her tiny delicate feet, his fingers danced up her legs again, right up to her apex. His mouth began to nip at her breasts, tongue flicking at the nipple. She began to writhe, moaning his name. His hand worked under her underwear, and his fingers began to play there. With a gentle rhythm, he lightly began stroking her pleasure button with his forefinger. His middle finger, traced around her entrance, but never entered. He was determined to keep her intact - in case she ever changed her mind. The rhythm was driving her crazy. Her hips lifted from the bed, and he put one hand underneath her to help give her support, while his other hand continued its ministrations. Soon, he could feel her tension mount, she vibrated in his hands as he played her like Ithzak Perlman played the violin. She exploded into motes of light, and he heard his name burst forth from her lips in ecstasy, echoing through the room, through his head.

"That's what I wanted to hear," he said, his voice husky. He leaned up and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, and I love you, and I love you." He snuggled next to her, and she curled into his body, panting heavily. He could smell her hair, and he found himself relaxing. He felt like he was at peace. Before they knew it, they had fallen asleep.

X


	12. 12 Touching Home Pt 2

Chapter 12

When she woke up, she was curled into him, her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her possessively. She was wearing nothing but her white bra and panties, and the coolness of the room had made her cling to him in her sleep. He was just in his jeans, and she began drawing kanji on his chest with her finger.

He pulled her close, hugging her tight, and said, "That tickles."

She smiled at him and said, "Good to know." Then both hands descended on his sides as she tickle-attacked him. With a high-pitched shriek, he wriggled out of her embrace, trying to protect himself. The sound was so like a girl that she ceased tickling and immediately began laughing.

"What?" he asked. Her laughing prevented her from being able to answer. She just kept laughing. Then she'd almost get herself under control, then point at him and start laughing again. "WHAT?" he asked, exasperated.

Finally, she got herself under enough control that between giggles she said, "You sound like a little girl when you're tickled."

Crossing his arms, he pouted, "I do not!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!" she mimicked. Then lunged at him laughing and he squealed again and pulled away from her. "SEE!" She started laughing again.

Grimacing, he shook his head, then lunged at her. Pinning her beneath him, he began tickling her - or at least attempted to. There was no reaction, other than her smiling seductively up at him and blinking her eyes. "I'm the youngest of three kids. They used to hold me down and tickle me 'til I couldn't breathe. I'm not ticklish anymore."

"Humpf," pouting, he stopped trying to tickle her. "That's just not fair."

"Sor-reeeee!" she sang.

Scowling at her, then smiling, he climbed over her and then breathed in her ear, and was rewarded with a moan. "If you'll get dressed, we can go get some dinner, my love."

She stuck her tongue out at him as he jumped off her and then sat back on the bed to watch as she got dressed.

XXXXXXXX

Nakatsu officially began work one week before Taiiku No Hi (Health & Sports Day - an official holiday that occurs on the second Monday of October). The board thought it was the perfect time to bring him in - to build excitement for the holiday. And it gave him three full months working as a sub-coach before he took over the position entirely.

In the three weeks prior to starting his new job, he'd completed decorating his new house - with the help of Kyoumi, of course. They'd gotten into a regular schedule - Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays she'd stay at school and write, and he'd visit Ohsaka to work out and watch the team. Tuesdays and Thursdays, she'd come over and do homework while he cooked, then they'd enjoy dinner and a DVD, followed by him walking her back to the dorm, and a bittersweet kiss goodbye at the gate. Saturdays he'd pick her up from school and take her out someplace nice - fancy restaurants, theatre, dancing, long walks through the park, stargazing at the planetarium. He made sure that at least every other week it was fancy enough that - someday - she'd be able to wear the jewelry he'd already bought for her. So that she'd know when he gave it to her that she would never run out of occasions when she'd be able to wear it.

Then there was Sundays.

Sundays were the day that they spent together all day long. He'd pick her up for breakfast, they'd work on his house, she'd make lunch or they'd go to Auntie O's. Then they'd work on the house some more. He'd cook dinner or they'd go back to Auntie O's again. Or McDonalds. Then they'd end up back at the house and play video games until they distracted each other too much to continue playing. Makeout sessions would follow. He'd please her. At first when she'd try to please him, he'd push her off. Then she got fed up.

"NO!" she exclaimed and pushed him off her.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes filled with worry and concern for her well being.

Crossing her arms, and emphasizing the cleft of her breasts in her black lace bra - Sakura had taken her shopping for some new undergarments claiming that if she wanted to give him a present she was sure he'd appreciate seeing her in something other than the plain white crap she had lived in her whole life - her face took on her most stubborn expression. He knew he was in trouble.

"Nakatsu Shuichi, by all that is in me, I swear that until you let me give something back to you then I am not going to allow you to touch me. Period."

His dumbfounded look was almost amusing.

"Do you honestly think that I can be satisfied knowing that you're doing nothing but giving? It's driving me absolutely crazy to not be able to make you feel the way you make me feel. And I KNOW! I know that you want to wait til we're married to have sex. I'm not complaining about that." She began pacing back and forth in her exasperation. "In fact, your dedication to that is… it just proves that you're a wonderful man who lives up to his promises. You're more dedicated and wonderful than any other man I've ever known. So don't think this is me trying to seduce you, because it's not. In fact, if you tried to take me now, I wouldn't let you. It would be something you'd feel bad about later, and I'm not letting that happen. So you're going to HAVE to marry me to fuck me, Mister. One way or the other.

"But it's not fair to not let me touch you. You get pleasure from touching me, but I don't get to touch you!" She stomped her foot with her hands in fists at her sides. "It's just not fair!"

Awestruck at her speech, his mouth hung open. Then closed and broke into a seductive smile. He sat up on the bed, hands reaching to the buttons on his shirt, then paused and leaned back.

"You know I'm yours, Kyoumi," his invitation for her to do what she wished.

Her eyes got wide and she gulped audibly. 'Okay. What do I do now!' Tentatively, she leaned in and began nibbling on his ear. He moaned softly. Her hands began deftly working at his shirt buttons and soon her fingers were tracing patterns over his chest - then pushing the shirt off his shoulders so that she could run her nails lightly and then more firmly down his back.

Alternating lips and tongue kissed down his neck, to his collarbone, where she nipped him lightly and was rewarded with a groan.

Pulling back a bit, she kissed down his torso - open mouth, tongue lapping lightly as she went along. Until he started and pulled away from her, with a shriek.

"Oh yeah. Ticklish. Sorry," she said, with a devilish grin. His pout only lasted until her mouth latched onto his ear again and he forgave her with a moan.

His mind screamed, "STOP!" when her fingers began unbuckling his belt and working with the button on his jeans, but she whispered in his ear, "I... don't know if I... know how to do this right, so... tell me if I do something wrong, okay?" with such trepidation that he relaxed into her touch and his hips lifted to help her ease his jeans down and off.

Blushing deeply, she traced around the waistband of his boxerbriefs. He smiled at her and said, "I love you, Kyoumi-ai." Then with a finger under her chin, he said, "Don't do anything you don't want to. Remember, I'll always be yours."

Only the last word was muffled because she jumped on him with a fierce kiss, her hand stroking his rod through his underwear, and he moaned and arched up into her. She kept up the ministrations for a few minutes until he stopped her. With a half-grimace he said, "Uh... if we keep that up, I'm going to get fabric burn."

"Fabric burn?"

He blushed. "Um... it... it needs... lubrication so that... the friction is a good friction, and... through clothes, it's a bit... scratchy after a bit, and... um..." His brain was a little fogged with desire, but even so, he knew that the two of them were just a little too cutely innocent at the moment. 'Aren't I supposed to be too old to get this embarrassed?'

His embarrassment was short-lived, though, as she licked her hand thoroughly, then reached into his shorts to stroke him.

"Oh my god." His head fell back, his mouth open, and she knew she'd done something he liked. After a minute or so of up and down, she felt her hand begin to dry, and she could tell by the feel exactly what he had meant by fabric burn. She'd need more moisture. And... curiousity was propelling her as well. The skin there was so smooth. And the hardness in her palm felt soft. Not soft as in squishy, but soft as in... touchable. She definitely wanted to touch it. And...

She wanted to see it. What could it possibly look like? Something this hard and this soft. Using her other hand, while keeping working with her right, she tried to ease his shorts off. When his brain took in what she was doing, he whipped them off in about 1/2 a second, without even realizing he was doing it.

She looked at his face, and his eyes were closed, his head was back, and she could tell that he was just riding the sensations she was causing. 'I'M making him look like that!' She leaned in for a better look. 'That's funny. It's supposed to be vulgar, not pretty. I wanna...'

She leaned in and kissed the tip, and he moaned and arched up. She smiled, and then licked at the tip, and was pleased to hear him moaning her name as she tasted the salty bitterness of precum.

Her hand had almost completely dried out, so she leaned in, and... 'I can't believe I actually WANT to do this! I mean, when Tamami told me about this, I thought she was lying or insane. But...' her lips closed around his shaft and she began stroking up and down with both her hand and mouth - mouth providing the much needed lubrication.

"OH GOD, KYOUMI!" She'd have smiled if her mouth wasn't otherwise occupied. She kept up the action, and soon heard, "I'm gonna...!" and she felt her mouth fill with a hot, sticky substance. It was swallow or choke, so she swallowed as she pulled free, her hand still working his cock. The second spurt splatted her on the face, and she laughed. The third just dribbled around her hand.

She turned to look at him, as he lay there recovering on the bed. She didn't think about the fact that she was clothed only in her black lace bra up top, but still in her jeans on bottom. She merely held her right hand out loosely, and wondered, 'Um... hm... towel? Bedsheet?... Do I get up? God, he looks so cute like that. I did that! Oh, my god. I did that! I... I... liked it. HE liked it. I think. I hope I did it right...'

At that moment his eyes opened and he looked at her. In her black lace bra, with one hand cupping his offering, and part of it dripping down her face - as if he'd marked her as his - he saw the love of his life, and it broke his heart how fragile she looked.

"Was it... okay? for you?" Five sofly spoken words that conveyed the love she felt for him, and the complete trust. He shot forward and swept her into his arms, then carried her bridal style into the bathroom with a smile on his face that would have sent even non-fans into a swoon.

He sat her down on the commode, wet a washcloth, and then spoke, "YOU. Are the most amazing woman I have ever met, Kagurazaka Kyoumi."

She smiled hesitantly. "So it was okay?"

He delicately wiped the mess off her face. "It was mind-blowing."

She sighed in relief. "Good. I... didn't really know what I was doing, you know? I didn't know how I'd compare..."

"Compared to my hand," he grabbed her hand and wiped it clean, "anything you could do would feel like heaven."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I wasn't talking about your hand, Shuichi." He gave her the confused dog cocked head as he broke from cleaning himself up. "I was talking about any other girls..."

"Kyoumi..." he started hesitantly, "You're... the only person other than the doctor who's touched me there since I got out of diapers."

Eyes wide as saucers, "Re- really?"

He shrugged embarrassedly. "Really."

Sighing hugely, she said, "Thank god! Me, too!"

He lifted her up into his arms and said, "So I've been doing okay with you, right? Have I been..."

"Making me explode? Yeah."

"We're not bad for beginners."

She smiled at him. "Maybe it's because we're supposed to be together." When she realized what she'd just said, she turned red and he laughed while thinking, 'I think you're right.'

He carried her back to the bedroom so they could get redressed, and gave a longing look at the drawer where the ring that he would propose with was nestled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Upcoming events: Christmas dance - he chaperones. she has to dance with someone from Ohsaka. Who will be king & queen?

Christmas/New Year break. They go home to their families. He talks to his mom about Kyoumi. She talks to her mom only. But her sister drags it out of her that she has a boyfriend, and that he's older, but not by how much or who he is. She doesn't tell her dad or her brother.

January - Makoto hears about her boyfriend from Tamami. he shows up to talk to her and to meet the punk. Fireworks when he finds out.

Valentine's Day.

White Day.

Somewhere along the way, they have to meet each other's parents. He has to ask permission to take her hand.

Vacation/proposal. Vahe

Naoko truth, Hisa Long Lasting, Midori Green, Nyoko Gem, Kyoumi interest


	13. 13 Nakatsu Does Something Dumb

The boys on the soccer team were running laps and casting nervous glances at their new coach.

It had been exciting for them all to have their soccer hero come to their school to encourage them a couple months earlier. And when they'd heard that he was going to take the place of their existing coach, their enthusiasm was palpable. Of course, they all had heard the legends of the fiery lion from Osaka. And from Ohsaka. But, that just meant he was passionate about winning. Or so they thought.

Now that he'd been working with them for more than a month, they knew. His temper was nothing to be tampered with. They were actually glad that the Old Man (their soon to be former coach) was still around for the transition. And after their first "welcoming" prank, they'd discovered that they really didn't want to try anything more to test his patience. And, as usual, he only had to lose his temper once for them to not want it to happen again.

Nakatsu-sensei had a concerned friend attitude most of the time toward the team. They all thought he was a great guy - someone you could talk to about anything. They each felt like he cared about them - not only as a team, but as individuals. But. If they lied to him, or failed to give anything less than their best... Let's just say he had ways to make them regret it. They'd go home from practice on nights like that just as exhausted and sweaty as they did every practice night with him. The difference was that when they let their new coach down, they went home knowing that they'd let him down. Even his fiery temper was easier to take than his disappointment.

But today... Today something was up, and none of them knew quite what. It was obvious that he was upset about something. His mood was dancing around ire, but not quite getting there. And while they all liked the guy, none of them felt quite comfortable enough yet to ask him if he was okay.

At the end of practice, though, they got a clue: earlier in the week Masa - an outgoing third-year - had asked him if he was going to be one of the chaperones for the St. Blossom/Ohsaka Christmas dance, and with a grin he had said he'd look into it. But today when Masa, on his way to the locker room, asked if he'd be at the dance, their new coach had snarled, turned away from the student and punched the wall so hard that he put a dent in the wood. He didn't even indicate that he felt any pain after he hit it, even though they could see blood dripping from his fist.

Masa was a thin, tall, dark boy with whipcord muscles, who was known for his good heart and cat-like reflexes. But he matched the nice whitewash color of the building as he quickly disappeared into the showers - followed by all the other students.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well, I can see that 13 years has not made you any less of a dumbass." Umeda pulled his former-student-now-collegue's hand out of the bucket of ice-water where it had been soaking. "But the x-ray indicates nothing's broken. Sprained, yes. Broken, no."

Nakatsu had the good grace to look embarassed as he grimaced.

"You're going to have swelling and pain for at least a week, if not a month. And don't be surprised if the pain affects your elbow and shoulder, too. Use ibuprofen or naproxen - over the couner stuff - to reduce swelling. I'd consider giving you a prescription, but since you brought this on yourself..."

The younger man grimaced again.

"And what exactly did that wall do to you that pissed you off so much that you were compelled to hit it? I swear it took me 15 minutes just to pull out the wood chips so I could x-ray the damn thing."

When his ex-student refused to answer, the doctor continued: "Ah. So the rumors are true then."

That got him talking. "WHAT rumors!" His eyes blazed at the doctor.

"Have you noticed that you only ever get this worked up over girls? Seriously. I think you have an issue."

Even though he was pissed off, he was capable of firing back a witty retort: "You're not going to try to talk me over to the other side, are you? I may have wondered about that back in high school, but only about Mizuki - so there's not a chance."

"Don't worry. You're definitely not my type. But much like back in the days of Mizuki," the doctor responded gaily (no pun intended), "your love life is the source of much rumor here at Ohsaka."

He attempted to fold his arms across his chest - in order to better snort in derision, but the pain from his injury prevented the attempt from being even remotely successful, and the doctor snickered as he said, "So you're really dating a girl from St. Blossoms?"

"That's none of anybody's goddamned business! OW!" Another failed attempt.

Sitting in his chair and tapping a cigarette out of his pack, the doctor gave a laconic smile. "Ah. But apparently, the board disagrees with you on that point." As he saw Nakatsu's dander get up, he held his hands up in front of him, cigarette in one hand, lighter in the other, in what can only be assumed to be a placating gesture. "Dumbass, you work here now. Anything you do can reflect upon the school. If you want your private life to be private, that means that you have to KEEP it private." With that, he lit his cigarette and took a long drag.

"This coming from the guy who continually makes out with his boyfriends in the health room."

"Idiot, no one cares if a teacher has a relationship with an adult. It's when a teacher gets involved with a student-"

"But it's a totally different school!"

"And that's why you still work here, moron. But you asked to chaperone a dance at HER school." The former blond pouted with a humph. "Listen. You know students love gossip more than anything. If not, Mizuki could've been an official Ohsaka Gakuen graduate... Okay, only if she hadn't gotten pregnant, but you know what I mean.

"The first time you were seen dancing with that girl back in September, the next day it was all the students could talk about. The only reason the board didn't make a stink about it then was because their eyes were blinded by the gold they saw lining their pockets at getting a famous coach.

"In fact, that's the same reason why all they did was tell you that you couldn't attend the dance."

Balling up his good fist and punching himself in the thigh, he said, "That's not all they said."

"Yeah, yeah. They asked you if you intended to keep dating the girl, and if so, could you keep a low profile. Do you have any idea what they'd have done if someone like Mr. Yukari was dating someone from St. Blossoms? He'd have been told to break it off or risk suspension or termination. And he's younger than you are."

" sigh I know you're right. They would do that. But still..."

"You don't want to think about your girl dancing with one of the dumb oafs that goes to school here."

It really could be unnerving how easily the flamboyant doctor could read people's thoughts. "Yeah."

"How'd an idiot like you ever hook up with a high school girl anyway?"

Surprised, Nakatsu broke into a glowing smile. "Actually, I have YOU to thank."

"ME? What the hell did I do?"

"Remember when you had Mizuki go work at your sister's place so you wouldn't have to? And Sano and I followed her there?"

With a suspicious glare, he responded, "So?"

"So, that's where I met her."

Shuichi smiled lazily as he saw the doctor doing the math in his head. "The hell? She'd've been like THREE! And you call ME perverted?"

"Asshole. It wasn't like that!"

"If you say so."

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, he continued, "ANYway, I ran into her again a few months ago, and we got caught up, and..." His eyes took on the dreamy gaze that Umeda remembered from 14 years earlier.

"Oh, man. I was right. You haven't changed." Hokuto rolled his eyes and shook his head. Then turned his back on his colleague and said over his shoulder, "You've bothered me long enough. Get out of my office."

"Okay. Thanks for looking at my hand- HEY! How're you doing, Akiha?" He laughed as he walked out the door, leaving the doctor diving under the desk to hide.

Apparently 13 years had given him the ability to fight back. Coming out from under the desk, the doctor grinned and muttered fondly, "Idiot."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What did you DO?" Kyoumi took the bandaged hand in both of her own, and tenderly stroked his swollen fingers.

Embarrassed, he looked away from her. "I... kinda lost my temper."

"And did what? Hit a brick wall?" She looked at him with concern and horror duking it out for supremacy on her face. Consternation was throwing in a few good punches as well.

"Actually, it was wood..."

And horror became the victor. "You're joking right?" Seeing that he was not, she said slowly, "What on earth could get you so upset that you would do this to yourself?"

He fidgeted in his seat. "Um..."

"What?"

"Um... I don't wanna tell you."

And anger came out of hiding to give horror a knockout punch. "What do you mean you don't want to tell me?"

"You'll..." he squirmed as she stared at him. She hadn't let go of his hand, though, and he couldn't get away. "You'll be disappointed in me."

She dropped his hand and looked at her lap as she quietly said, "Does it have something to do with Sano Mizuki?"

"What! God, no!" His face clearly said, 'What the hell does SHE have to do with anything?' "You know, Kyoumi, I think I need to introduce you to the Sanos. Then you'll know. You'll see. You're... the love I've waited my whole life for."

Her heart's wings were fluttering around in her throat at that, but she refused to let it distract her. "I'd like to meet them. And by the way, nice try. But you still haven't told me why you've decimated your hand."

"They won't mmmmmmmmmmm." The first two words were clear and the remainder he said so quietly that she couldn't hear.

"What?"

"They won't let me go to the dance."

"..." She sat there blinking her eyes, trying to imagine how on earth that sentence fit in with the travesty that was her love's hand. "Uh..."

"Apparently, the school board knows I'm dating someone from St. Blossom's. And the only reasons I'm still employed are as follows: '1, the girl is over 18, 2, she doesn't attend the school I teach at.' And the unofficial third reason is that I'm famous and they think my being at the school will bring in more money than any potential scandal would cause them to lose."

"...Oh."

"You know, they actually asked me to stop seeing you until after you graduate. I told them that I'd fucking quit first. Exact words."

"You didn't." She was horrified that she'd brought this on him, and yet her heart warmed at the thought that she meant more to him than his career. And that, in turn, made her feel guilty.

"I told them that our relationship was none of their goddamned business, and that you were the most important thing in my entire life. Then I clarified for them that in case they were unsure what I meant, that I meant that I would never do ANYTHING to damage your honor. Just because you haven't graduated yet does not mean I'm not serious."

Wide-eyed, she asked, "Then what happened?"

"Then they told me that since I'm not actually 'the girl's' teacher, that it shouldn't pose a conflict of interest, but I would have to steer clear of cross-school functions so as to maintain decorum. And then, the meeting was dismissed. At least for me."

She looked up at a corner of ceiling for a second as she replayed what he'd told her in her head. "So... when did you punch the wall? WHY did you punch the wall? I mean... everything turned out okay with the board, right?"

Hiding his face in his good hand, he confessed, "I... I was so mad that anyone might think badly of you - a girl who'd date a teacher... most boys think a girl who does that is... and... During practice with the team, I just kept seeing you dancing - HAVING to dance with some boy from Ohsaka, and I... I felt so helpless. I mean, I won't even be able to be there to kick anyone's ass if they're not nice to you, and-"

One hand was holding her forehead, and she started to chuckle. Shaking her head with a smile, she then took hold of his mangled hand in her own, and said, "You make me so happy. Do you honestly think a few idiots' words can hurt me?" She saw him about to protest that there were some people who might not just leave it at words and stopped him, "And do you honestly think that Sakura would let anyone who tried to do anything bad to anyone she cared about LIVE?"

A laugh bubbled out from his gut, and he looked at his hand and said, "I'm an idiot."

She stroked it and said, "You're MYidiot."

With a smile, he gave her a two-armed, one handed hug and whispered in her ear, "I still don't like the thought of anyone else dancing with you."

"I love you, too."


	14. 14 Introducing Masa

The boy was biting his lower lip and wringing his hands as he stood in the doorway, clearly undecided as to whether to enter.

Nakatsu was chagrined. If he hadn't indulged in that obscene display last week - and his hand was still hurting - the kid wouldn't be hesitating, he was sure. Masa was rarely uncertain about anything. To see that look on his face now... It was something Shuichi was ashamed of. And something he intended to make up to his boys.

"Masa, you... can come in whenever you like, you know. I only take my temper out on inanimate objects." His attempt at humor seemed to escape the young man in front of him. "And I'm in a much better mood today, anyway."

Tentatively, the boy entered the office, and when Shuichi gestured to the seat across the desk from him, Akahori Masa sat and continued to twiddle his fingers nervously in silence.

A moment passed, and Nakatsu decided this would be a good place to start. "Listen, Masa, I'm glad you're here. I... wanted to apologize to you."

At that, the boy looked up, startled. "Apologize to ME?"

Putting on a serious adult face, he nodded. "Yes. You asked me a question the other day, and I didn't answer. AND, I acted like a complete ass. The only good thing to come out of that whole day is that you kids got to see first-hand that being an idiot like me is a stupid thing to do." He held up a pencil in his left hand. "By the way, have you ever had to try to write with your left hand? It's a pain in the ass." Dropping the pencil on the desk, he continued. "Anyway, I'm sorry I lost my temper. It really won't happen again. I was upset about something earlier that had happened, and I let myself stew about it instead of running several laps like I usually do, and I just wanted to apologize."

He smiled kindly at the boy. "Oh, and no, I won't be attending the dance."

"Tha- That's too bad, Coach. But we all kinda figured that's what was going on." Masa's smile was trusting and open. "You went to school here. You know how fast news travels. I just wish it had travelled fast enough that we'd heard BEFORE practice. Then, your hand..." he shrugged.

Nakatsu laughed. "This wasn't the first time I've done something brash and stupid. It wasn't even the most painful - although it's pretty close."

The young, whip-cord thin boy laughed with him. Then grew quiet and tentative as he remembered. "That... That's not really why I'm here, though..."

The boy was chewing his lower lip again. "It's not?" Nakatsu studied the boy in front of him. "So... did you need my help with something?"

Without looking at him, the boy nodded. "I'm... Can you teach me how to dance?" When the sentence finally came out, it came out in a blast.

Blinking in amazement, Nakatsu repeated dumbly, "You want me to teach you how to dance."

At this, his young student found his tongue loosened sufficiently to speak, and in a torrent it all came out: "I don't know how to dance, but there's this girl at St. Blossoms, and I really like her a lot, and I know that they're having dance lessons for those who need it, just like they always do for this, but, she's one of the girls helping with the lessons, so if I took the lessons, she'd know I can't dance, and I thought okay, that's fine, cuz at least I'd get to spend time with her, but if she thinks I'm a clod and hopeless at dancing, then I might never win her heart cuz everyone knows that girls equate how well a guy dances with how good they are in-, and then I remembered that everyone was talking about how smooth you were dancing with that one girl when that band was playing in town a few months ago, and I thought that if you could teach me then I could maybe be just a little smooth, and then maybe I'd have a chance."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Settle down there. You gotta remember to breathe." Nakatsu smiled at the boy. He nodded. "St. Blossom's girls are really something, aren't they? So. Who's the girl? Tell me about her."

"Well, she's taller than most girls. And outgoing and smart. And really athletic. Mostly, she plays tennis, but she could do anything she wants, really. She's... so amazingly beautiful, too. Her name's Nakajo Sakura, and-"

"You've gotta be freakin' kidding me. You like Sakura-imouto?"

Masa paled and his eyes became like saucers. "She's... your SISTER?" He swallowed hard.

Nakatsu laughed. Hard. For several minutes. Meanwhile, the straight-forward boy in front of him fidgeted nervously, trying to figure out whether to join him or to be very, very scared.

"Dude. If you're this scared of MY reaction, you don't stand a chance with Sakura-imouto."

"She's really your sister?"

Chuckling a bit more, he replied, "I'm an only child. She's not really my sister. Relax."

A little color came back into Masa's face, and then he got excited, "You know Nakajo-san?"

Shaking his head, he replied with a grin, "I thought the rumors about me were so deep that everyone knew everything about me. Tell me, Masa, what rumors HAVE you heard about me?"

The boy paled again as he answered slowly, "I... heard... that you've been dating a girl from St. Blossoms. But they said she was only about 5'3", and that she had long hair, so... and Nakajo Sakurasan is 5'7" with short hair."

Snorting, Nakatsu said, "I'm not dating Sakura, Masa."

"Oh thank god," he sighed and almost collapsed with relief.

"So what else do the rumors say?" The new coach leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and folded his hands across his stomach.

"Well... I heard that secretly you'd married her. And I heard that she was a spy for the German team and was seducing you away from football so that they'd have a chance at the World Cup this year."

Nakatsu raised one eyebrow in disbelief.

"But anyone with a brain doesn't believe either of those rumors. And I also heard that you asked the school board to chaperone the dance, but that they wouldn't let you because they were afraid you'd make out on the dance floor and set a bad example. And I heard that they asked you to stop seeing this mystery girl, and you told them you'd rather die than give her up. And that they backed down because they were afraid you'd quit and then enrollment would drop off."

"Really, anything else?"

Masa looked carefully at his coach, and he could see that the man in front of him truly wanted to know. But still, he'd come here for a reason. "Are you going to teach me how to dance?"

"Possibly. I need to find out if you're good enough for my Imouto."

"I thought you said she wasn't your sister." The boy looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"I sort of adopted her. Now answer." He'd drawn up taller, and was looking at his student the way an older, protective brother looks at his sister's prospective date.

Grimacing, the boy blurted out, "Some of the guys think you're a stud for bagging a younger chick. Some think it makes you a pervert. A couple of the guys said that they'd heard that when you were in high school you had a thing for a guy, and that you must be gay. And I heard from one guy, Ryu, whose twin sister goes to St. Blossom's, that you were planning to marry her, and that his sister says you're like some sort of romantic god or something."

He chuckled. Then sat upright putting both hands on the desk and staring intently at the young boy, he said, "So what do YOU think?"

There was a slight pause before he answered. "HELL! I don't know! There's too many rumors about you dating her for it to be all made up. But... You don't seem like the kind of guy who dates girls just to date them - I mean, back when you were leading us to the World Cup, there were stories about how you never dated. You could have bagged any girl you wanted, right? So... I think you probably... like her. A lot."

Nakatsu closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Hmmm." He tapped his finger as he thought. "So no one has any idea who the girl is?"

The boy shook his head no. "Ryu says Midori knows - that's his sister - but she won't tell him who it is because 'boys are so stupid that they wouldn't understand how romantic it all is.' He said Midori told him that half the girls at St. Blossoms didn't get it either, so 'how would a bunch of hormone driven boys understand?'

"OH! And Kayashima-kun said that he saw you with her dancing in front of the bandstand in town while he was out on a date, and the two of you looked like a matched set. But that's all he would say. So no one really knows who she is."

Nakatsu smiled.

"So are you going to teach me to dance, Coach?"

Screwing up his forehead in thought for a second, an idea came to him, and he grinned from ear to ear. "Akahori-kun, can I assume you don't want anyone to know about this?"

The boy blushed a bit, but kept his eyes locked on his coach's as he nodded.

"Well then, you are officially hired as my new assistant. I just moved into a new house. I need some help with some landscaping tasks. Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday, after practice, you'll be working in my garden. I want to put in a small pond, and plant some irises and violets." Grinning wider, he said, "YOU'RE going to help me."

"But what about the danc-"

"That's the official story. And to make it real, you really will be helping me. But my gardening needs are really quite small. SO... the rest of the time, I will be getting to know you better while I teach you to dance. If you're really horrible, I may need you to come on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, too.

"Actually, if I think you're worthy of Sakura, I'll want someone else to meet you, too. But we'll just see how it all works out. So. Tomorrow. After practice. Bring clothes that are easy to move in, and that you don't mind getting dirty."

Masa nodded eagerly, and left repeating his thanks over and over again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At home that night, while he cooked up a quick spaghetti dinner, and she was studying for her Calculus exam, he had a hard time keeping quiet. But since he knew she hated calc, and she this was one test she was really worried about, he let her study in peace.

Finally, as he was finishing setting the food out on the table for dinner, she slammed her book closed and exclaimed, "Enough! I can't do anymore. If I don't get it enough for the exam now, I just don't. I can't take in any more of this crap!"

Smiling, he bowed at her and said, "Perfect timing as always, because dinner awaits. Come eat, build your energy back up. I know you'll want to try to study some more after this."

She smiled gratefully at him. "You know me pretty well."

He grinned. "I'm learning."

X

"You know, you're spoiling me. Sauteed scallops and angelhair pasta in a puntanesca sauce? How many bachelors your age know how to cook like this?"

"Yeah, but they don't have you to inspire their culinary skills."

She laughed at that. "Every time I go back to the dorm room and tell Sakura about what you cooked, she yells at me to stop torturning her - either to take her with me, or to stop talking about it when all she gets is cafeteria food."

He smirked, and his smile became guarded. Sectretive. "Good to know... But I'm not quite ready to invite her over yet. Maybe in a couple of weeks..."

Raising one eyebrow and pursing her lips, she looked her boyfriend up and down. "Shuichi, you've got that pleased, cat-ate-the-canary look. What's going on?"

Forcing his face into the innocent boy expression that usually got him out of trouble with her, he replied, "Have I told you that one of the boys from the football team is going to help me do some gardening?"

Narrowing her eyes, she said quietly, "Why would you need help on the garden? It's beautiful already."

"Well," he began, "I thought it would be nice to have a little pond set up - with maybe a fountain in it. And I definitely need to plant some violets and irises."

While she knew that the thought behind these changes was to make the garden more like home - for her, not him - there was something else going on here. "That'll be nice. And...?"

"And... In return for his help, I'm going to be teaching him how to dance to impress a certain someone who goes to school with you."

"You don't mean...?"

"Yup. Our little girl has someone pining away for her over at Ohsaka. And before you get worried, I'll decide just how worthy he is of teaching before I teach him anything good. If he's not good enough for her, not only will I sabotage the lessons, but I'm planning to warn you so you can warn her."

With a big smile, she began to clap her hands. "Oh, yay! I'm so happy! I hope he's a good one. I so want her to be... well... as happy as me." She blushed.

"You know what? Me, too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	15. 15 Dance Lessons

"Quit your complaining. At least you don't have to wear a damn dress like I did when I was learning how to dance!"

The boy cocked his head at that. "You had to wear a dress for the dance?"

Scowling at the memory he responded, "No. Just at the lessons. But there were several boys who had to dress like girls for the dance. St. Blossom's attendance was down that year." He struck a pose and made fun of himself, "Apparently, they didn't think I was pretty enough to be a girl. Can you believe it?" He feigned indignation.

Masa laughed. "Yeah, actually."

"Okay, back to the lesson. Just hold my hand so you won't get lost. Listen to the music. Hear the rhythm? ONE two three, ONE two three. Listen for the beat. Step with the beat. ONE two three. One two three. Okay, that's it. Feel the rhythm." He let go of the boy's hand and said, "Keep walking in time wih the music. One two three, ONE two three. You're doing WAY better than I did back then."

The boy stopped and turned to look at the coach. "Really?"

"Really. But I was a little too distracted to hear the music at the time. There was a girl I liked in the room, and I could only think about how it would feel to hold her in my arms."

Stepping in time with the music, Masa walked across the floor. "See, I knew they were full of it. You weren't gay in high school."

Nakatsu blushed and shook his head. "So, now keep in time with the music, but imagine that Sakura is in your arms." He was not at all surprised to see the boy lose the music and begin to stumble.

"Ah! You've lost the music. You need to make the music part of you." He put his hand on the boy's chest and started tapping the beat. "Feel it here. The beat is like a heartbeat. Like a string. And because she feels it too, it connects you. It gives you something that you share, so you don't have to worry about whether she likes you, whether you're good enough. You're connected through the music. Now, she's in your arms. She's got the beat in her. Feel it in your heart. And move."

He smiled as the boy stepped across the floor in perfect time with the music, a small dazed smile on his face as he imagined Sakura with him.

"Good. You've got it. Now let's try a 4/4 piece of music."

X

Moving with the music was the easy part. Box step, where to place his feet, he picked up on that quickly, too. Nakatsu even played the part of the girl so that he could practice the steps with a partner. After just a week of practice, the kid had most of the basics.

BUT, the hard part of learning to dance is learning to lead. For that, he could see he would eventually need some additional help.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday for two weeks, Masa came over, worked in the garden for about an hour, which was followed by a dancing lesson. Then a shower while Nakatsu cooked dinner. Officially, though, these nights consisted of gardening for two hours, followed by dinner. The home-cooked food was supposedly the going exchange rate for the manual labor. To allay any possible suspicion, Nakatsu offered to let others on the team join in the deal. But Masa kept it just the two of them by warning his classmates about what a tough taskmaster Nakatsu was outside of school. H4e came home just dragging - as if he'd been required to lift cases of bricks and dig ditches the size of the Erie Canal every night. He talked about how great Nakatsu's Osakan cooking was, but - as expected - no one was willing to join in on the "fun."

Throughout their sessions, Nakatsu grilled the kid on his motives: what made him tick, what was his interest in Sakura, why Sakura, what were his intentions, what he wanted to do with his life, why he thought Sakura should give him the time of day. Mostly, he kept this grilling concurrent with the gardening projects or dinner. The dancing sessions were grill-free.

As they were digging the hole in which the pond would be built, each of them a shovel in hand, "So what do you think you're going to do when you graduate, Masa?"

"I'm going to college - and I want to study structural engineering."

"Really?" Nakatsu measured the depth of the hole. "And what will you do after college? Hey! We're deep enough for the pond now!"

"It doesn't look deep enough to me, I think we'd better go another six inches."

"The instruction kit says three feet." Nakatsu scowled at the brat who was making everything more difficult in every single one of the projects they'd started.

Masa just nodded his head. "Yeah, I know, but once we get the pond base in, we're going to build a little foundation around it with those landscaping stones, right? If we want it to look right in your garden, especially considering the groundwater depth in this region, and make sure that when the snows come it doesn't freeze solid and crack the base, we need to go another 6 inches. Trust me. Plus, we can use the extra soil over there - so that we can do a raised bed for the violets."

Smirking and shaking his head, "Well, if you want to dig another 6 inches..."

"Hey, I'm just telling you how to do it right. If you don't believe me, that's fine. What do I know? You're the teacher, I'm just a student. But you'll have to reinstall the whole thing when the freeze cracks the base."

"You're planning to be a landscaper?"

"Nope. I want to work on skyscrapers and find out ways to make them earthquake proof!"

'Hm... That's pretty cool.' Without another word, Nakatsu started digging deeper, and Masa followed suit.

XXX

As they were lugging stones to landscape around the pond base they'd installed - which went over and around the copper pipes that connected the base of the bond to the motor that pumped the water up so that it could then run down those same rocks in a mini waterfall: "So how do you know Sakura-imouto, anyway?"

"I... don't know her really. Not really. It's just... at the sports fest, there were displays and my roommate - well, my roommate from last year - they give us our own room as third years - anyway, last year, Tonami was part of the tennis event, and so I went to watch, and some of the idiots from Dorm 1 were commenting on how stupid it was to share the sports fest with St. Blossom's, because girls don't have it in them to be any good at sports." He began to laugh at the memory. "Sakura must of heard it, because she challenged that NO one could beat her at tennis, not a boy or a girl. They laughed and scoffed, they were actually gonna walk away from her. And she, she said, 'Well, I guess there aren't any real men here if you're all too scared of a girl to accept her challenge. Tonami leaned over to me and said, 'If anyone DOES take her up on it, they're a fool.' Of course one of the third years from Dorm 1 did. He talked all big about putting the little girl in her place. She just smiled and said, 'Coin toss for first serve? Or are you so scared that I need to just let you serve first?'

"That guy, I can't remember his name, but he was always such a jerk to everyone. And he about went apopleptic at her comment. He called a third party to do the coin toss."

Nakatsu noticed that Masa didn't stop working while telling the story, and he was pleased to see the boy grinning like a fool as he remembered it all.

"As luck would have it, she won the coin toss and he wasn't able to return a single serve. She won without him so much as touching the ball to his racket. Everyone was cheering, and she asked him if he'd like a rematch - she'd let him serve. Of course he took her up on it. She returned every serve, and he wasn't able to hit a single ball coming over the net at him. Man! We were dying, laughing at the fool.

"He ended up muttering something like, 'Yeah, well tennis is a woman's sport anyway.' I don't think he knew she'd be able to hear him, because she retorted, 'I'll take you on in any sport you like, any day. I don't think you look like that much of a challenge, though.' And the moron picked karate. She set down her balls and racket, walked over to him and said, 'You sure about that?' He grunted an affirmative, and she... LAID HIM OUT!" His story was interrupted as he began laughing so hard that Nakatsu couldn't help but to join him.

"The thing is, afterward, he called her a dyke, but... I saw her fighting him. Throughout all of it, she... was so beautiful. I thought I was watching a goddess." He sighed dreamily. "Well, back to work..."

He picked up the stone he'd set down as he'd begun laughing, and put it in place, finishing off the high wall of the pond.

Heading back to the house to clean up, he confessed, "After that day, I... I went to every tennis match I could, just to see her again. When you see her play, it's like... like... Like a sunset."

Nakatsu smiled, and said to the boy, "Inside. We dance."

X

As they danced, he said, "Do you think she'd ever like someone like me, Sensei?"

Nakatsu's face got serious. "If you're supposed to be together, it will happen, boy. That may be the only thing I know for certain about life. You can't control fate.

"BUT!" He smiled, "That doesn't mean you shouldn't go after what you want."

X

At dinner, Nakatsu asked him questions about his personal life - where did he grow up (Kyoto), any siblings (two sisters - one older, one younger), why did he come all the way to Ohsaka Gakuen (great, well rounded school where he could study hard and train hard, too) - things like that. Occasionally Masa would fire questions back, but Nakatsu dodged anything that might not already be common knowledge about the ex-football-hero.

Before Masa left for the night, Nakatsu stopped him. "Tomorrow. Extra practice. We'll have a guest teacher here, so that we can teach you how to lead."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tuesday. As Nakatsu & Akahori passed through the school gates on their way to "work on Sensei's garden", Nakatsu decided to check in on the boy's frame of mind for the special lesson.

"We've been working on the garden for two and a half weeks now."

"Yup." They continued walking in companionable silence.

"Any new rumors about me?"

"Hm. Not really. Except..." He blushed and got an angry look on his face. "Some guy from dorm one - he claims his oldest brother went to school here back when you were a student, and he..." He growled. "He keeps trying to claim that 'cuz I'm working at your house, that you must be missing your high school days when you had a thing for a classmate."

Nakatsu looked startled and replied, "No worries. I'm no Umeda."

With a look of shock that faded into genuine amusement, Masa started laughing. "I didn't know you knew he was gay!"

"Dude, a blind and deaf man would know he was gay. If you met his sister, you'd understand why he's gay, too! His OLDER sister, that is." Seeing the questioning look in the boy's eyes, he continued, "I worked for her one summer while I was going to school here. She can be really nice - and she can be REALLY SCARY!"

His student smiled at that, but Nakatsu could see the curiousity straining to be released.

"You want to hear about my time in school, don't you?"

Feigning indifference, Masa replied, "Whatever." He was a really bad actor, though. Like a comic book character, this was a boy who wore his emotions out in the open for everyone to see.

With a mock old-person voice, Nakatsu began, "Well... When I was a boy..."

Masa laughed, and he continued in his regular voice, "There was this transfer student from America. This student was roommates with my best friend at the school. And this student quickly became one of my best friends, too.

"Um...Have you heard the legend of the girl who disguised herself as a boy and came here to study - the legend that the board swears never happened?"

Incredulity was the emotion of choice, and Masa's jaw literally hung open.

Using a monotone voice that clearly declared that the opposite of what he was saying was the truth, Nakatsu droned, "For the record, there was never a girl from America who got into the school. She did not get found out by the students before any teachers found her out. She was not the most wonderful person I had ever met at that time, nor did I declare my love to her, thinking she was a boy, in front of the whole school. She did not choose to leave the school without being kicked out so as to not embarass the school. And she did not fall in love with my best friend, marry him, and have three kids."

Masa practically jumped up and down shouting, "You're FREAKIN' KIDDING ME!"

Blinking his eyes repeatedly, he responded innocently, "What? I just said none of that ever happened."

Masa walked a few minutes in silence with his eyes wide. Eventually he came back with, "So I should assume it didn't hurt like hell when she chose your best friend over you?"

Nakatsu smiled sadly for a minute and said, "That's about it. But you know, if all those things HAD happened, it would have been for a reason."

"Like...?"

"Like, if there had been a girl dressed as a boy, and I had fallen for her, and I had - oh, I don't know, followed her to oh, say... Umeda's sister's summer resort to work as a busboy, then maybe I would have met someone that I would run into again 14 years later when she was all grown up and... maybe I would have fallen in love, and... Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'd buy a house and fix up a garden with all her favorite flowers so that when I proposed she'd know that she was more wonderful than... Anyone else on the planet?"

They walked along in silence for a few more minutes. Masa waited til they were almost at the house before speaking. "You really are a romantic, aren't you?"

"I must be. Otherwise I wouldn't be teaching your fool ass how to dance."

"So are you ever going to tell me the name of your girl - you know, just so I can keep an eye out for her for you while I'm at the dance?"

Nakatsu grinned. "I thought you'd be too busy with Sakura to even notice anyone else."

The boy blushed furiously and Nakatsu just laughed.

XXX

As they'd completed the pond/fountain, and all the associate landscaping, including the raised flower beds needed for planting violets in the spring - turns out you don't plant those in the fall - all that was left to do now was plant the iris bulbs. With the two of them working, it only took about 1/2 hour.

As they entered the house to begin the dance lessons, Nakatsu stopped the boy at the door. "Your guest teacher is here today. She got here about 15 minutes ago." He smiled, remembering seeing her sneaking into the house so that the boy didn't see her. "I just want you to know that if you tell anyone anything about this person who is here to help YOU, that I will make sure to let Sakura know that you can't be trusted - and believe me, she'll believe me."

Masa looked at him with a mixture of confusion and hurt that Nakatsu didn't trust him. "What? You got your girlfriend to help?" He'd meant it sarcastically, ironically. But when Nakatsu glowered at him he realized that this is exactly what was happening.

"She's not only my girlfriend, she's Sakura's roommate." And he muttered under his breath softly, thinking Masa'd never hear, "And a year from now, she'll be my wife."

"Sakura's r- roommate?" The boy paled as they entered the house.

Turning the corner, they saw Kyoumi sitting at the desk, working furiously in her notebook as she had no real homework that night. Nakatsu cleared his throat and Kyoumi said, "Just a second, love," and continued writing fervently.

Masa looked at the back of the girl ahead of him - damn if she didn't have the most beautiful hair he'd ever seen - then turned to look at Nakatsu, who had the goofiest grin on his face as he saw her there writing. His teacher turned to him and whispered, "She's a writer," like it was the most amazing thing, and he couldn't be prouder of her, and Masa struggled not to laugh. Seeing his expression, the former blonde got a bit indignant. "What?"

Masa lost it and started laughing out loud, just as Kyoumi closed the book and turned around. "Sensei, you're so Cuuuuuuuuuute!"

Turning to Kyoumi with a help-me-out-here look on his face, she responded, "I can't disagree with him, dear. You are very cute." She raised her eyebrows at him, smiling.

"Gah!" He groaned. "Now I've got three of you to pick on me. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." But he was smiling throughout.

X

The dance lesson began with Nakatsu taking Kyoumi and dancing while Masa watched. He called out the important parts before he did them: "I'm about to run out of wall, so you'll note that my hands gently will guide her to turn - left hand on her waist pushes forward a bit, and the right one pulls just a bit on her hand. She understands this subtle cue to turn." Or: "I want to spin her now, so what I do is I hold tightly onto her hand and push on her waist in the direction of the turn - like so. Did you notice that when I pushed on her waist while holding her hand, she knew it was a turn so dropped her hand off my shoulder?"

After they'd run through the basics once, it was Masa's turn to dance with Kyoumi. His hands landed on her very tentatively, and then Nakatsu stood behind him, putting his hands on Masa - hand on waist, other hand on his arm. They began a basic waltz, and Nakatsu would gesture with hand signals, then Masa would mimick the hand signals, and Kyoumi followed the leadings. There was some timing confusion, but soon, he'd gotten the trick, and Nakatsu let him go on his own.

After they'd managed a couple of dances with basic moves, Nakatsu took Kyoumi back into his arms, and they began to demonstrate some more advanced moves. Then it was the three of them til Masa got the feel of it. And finally, Masa alone with Kyoumi. The last dance, Masa ended with a giant flourish-dip, and they all knew that - provided he didn't get all flustered - he'd be able to keep up with Sakura.

Nakatsu watched this boy take his girl, dance with her, and was surprised that he didn't find the urge to kill rising. That is, until he dipped her. At that point, he heard his inner voice yelling, "MINE!" and he had to squash it down.

For revenge, he sent Masa to take the first shower while he had one last dance with his girl. Then he took her in his arms and danced with her - the way they had on their second date, letting his love for her flow through his body, down his arms, through his fingers, and into her. At the end, he dipped her and then pulled her in for a searing, passionate kiss that lasted several minutes. Finally, their lips parted, and, foreheads still touching, they looked deeply into each others' eyes.

An "Ahem" from the doorway brought them out of their embrace, and the two jumped apart guiltily.

"Um. Shower's free," Masa said, his cheeks glowing with embarassment.

Nakatsu squeezed Kyoumi's hand and then sauntered off to take a shower - leaving the two high school students alone.

"Akahori-kun, please, come into the kitchen and I'll get you something to drink while Shuichi starts dinner."

"Thank you, Kagurazaka-san," he replied very formally.

"Ramune okay?"

"That'd be great." He followed her at first a bit timidly, then as he thought about it, a bit more eagerly. "So... uh... you're... Nakajo-san's roommate!"

She smiled, "Yup!"

"We don't have roommates for third years here - they want us to concentrate on our studies more."

"I know. We're lucky enough to get the option, and... I got used to having Sakura around - I don't know if I could get along without her very well."

His eyes got dreamy and he said, "That sounds nice." Realizing she might take that the wrong way, he quickly added, "Being able to keep such a nice roommate, I mean, not having Nakajo-san around all the time. Although, that sounds great, too, but... I mean..."

She started to laugh. "I know what you mean," she said, kindly, as she handed him his bottled beverage.

He was quiet for a few minutes as he expertly popped of the seal and then snapped the marble down into the neck. He took a small sip and then decided to ask her. "So... um... I know I'm nosy and all, but..."

She looked at him curiously, and he continued. "Coach hinted that you guys met a long time ago, and I was just wondering - mostly because I've spent so much time with him lately, and he always seems to want to talk about you, but he stops himself because... well, because of the school board being idiots. But... You know, I've kind of fallen for a girl that I've spent time around, but I don't think she even knows who I am, and so, I get worried that maybe we're not destined like you two are and then I think, well, I don't even know how they really met or anything, so how will I even recognize destiny if it hits ME, and... I'm rambling. I do that."

She was chuckling and she said, "Just a bit. That's okay though. Shuichi warned me you do that when you're excited or nervous."

"Man, it's so weird to hear him called anything other than Nakatsu-san, coach, or Sensei."

"Yeah. Well, we talked about whether to let you even know that I'm the mystery girl from St. Blossoms, but he thought he could trust you to not tell tales."

Standing proudly, he declared, "I'd rather be hit by a car than betray my sensei's trust. Besides, anyone could tell just by looking at you two that it's the real thing you've got here. Anyone who wanted to try to get in the way of that would have to just be messed up!"

Laughing softly, she said, "I'm actually surprised that you want to hear about Nakatsu and I rather than about Sakura-chan."

He grinned at her and said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I know enough about Nakajo-san to want to get to know her better, and I'd really rather do that in person. Anything I hear from you or Sensei will be third hand, and, well, that's not the way I'd like to know her. If she doesn't like me, then... I'll probably be happier that I don't have too much to hang on to, and if she does like me enough that she wants to get to know me, too, then - that's really the best way to go about it!

"But Sensei - I get the feeling that he'd like to have someone - hell, everyone! - know that he's in love with you, but he really doesn't seem to have anyone he can really talk to, and... well... I just really like the guy. He's the coolest teacher - the coolest PERSON - I ever knew, other than Nakajo-san, and, well, since he's not ALLOWED to tell me anything..." He spread his hands, one of them still holding the Ramune bottle, in a helpless gesture.

She smiled softly. Then raised her head and looking over his shoulder said, "I like him. I think we should keep him around. If he and Sakura don't hit it off as a couple, I know she'll at least like him as a friend."

Placing one hand on the boy's shoulder he said, "You think so? Hmmmm... Well, he does work pretty hard - he makes a damn good gardener."

Masa rolled his eyes. "Oh great! Today you finally find yourself capable of taking a quick shower instead of leaving me bored out of my mind and starving to death. Today! When I have someone to talk to -" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You don't actually think I'd try to steal your girl, do you? Cuz I'd have to be a moron to even think about trying for a girl who was so obviously in love. Not to mention you might get pissed off and kick a rock and break your foot."

Kyoumi laughed so hard at their new friend's comment that she almost fell out of her chair, while Nakatsu threw his hands up into the air in defeat, then spun and said, "You're funny," before walking into the kitchen to cook them all dinner.

Akahori leaned toward Kyoumi conspiratorially and said in a stage whisper so that the cook could hear, "It's okay. I was just joking. I'd really never try to steal you because if I did try it, he'd actually kill me. And I'm kind of fond of being alive."

Kyoumi just giggled, and the two sat down in the living room to chat until dinner was served.

X

"Wow. That's some kind of history you two have. I have to say, you...You were kind of..."

"Dedicated?" she queried, hopefully.

"I was gonna say psycho, but that too."

She laughed and replied, "Yeah. I knew it, too. But, still... I couldn't give up on it. I tried. A lot."

Masa's face grew thoughtful for a moment and he said softly, "So is that how fate works?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "I think in our case it feels like fate. All I know is that I've always felt like a part of me was tied to him. Of course, that could just be part of the psychosis. But since I'm happier than I ever remember being EVER, I don't care if I AM crazy."

"Well, personally, I think it's cool. Really romantic. And I guess, I'm almost as much of a romantic as Sensei."

Popping his head into the living room, Nakatsu responded, "You know, you used to call me Coach like all the others on the team. When exactly did I get promoted to Sensei?"

Blinking up at him, the boy calmly responded, "When you agreed to teach me about romance."

"I never agreed to teach you about romance."

Masa rolled his eyes. "Riiiight. Building a flower garden to match the one your girl grew up with, teaching me how to dance... There's no lessons in romance THERE!"

Kyoumi giggled, and looked up at her love. "Just think how much fun this is going to be when Sakura and he are in the same room!" Nakatsu groaned in response and turned to leave the room moaning, "Dinner for anyone who still has an appetite. I think mine may be ruined."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	16. 16 A Dance For Sakura

The night of the dance came.

But not without a few more supplemental lessons in the form of Nakatsu, Kyoumi, and Masa going out to a nearby club (Saturday nights only, folks - so no interruption of school schedules!) and dancing in public first. The thought was that if he could handle dancing in front of total strangers, he'd be ready for the big event.

That and the fact that they seemed to have a whole lot of fun when they were all together.

Before you knew it, it was the big dance. Nakatsu helped Masa get ready - giving him last minute tips as he dressed in his tux - and then went home to sulk. As he opened the door, he sighed and flexed his hand. It still hurt when it rained, but other than that, it seemed to finally be healed. Quickly laughing at his stupidity, he went in to fix a light dinner.

He flicked the light on and entered the kitchen to see a blue iris in a blue vase, right next to a notebook. On top was a note in his favorite handwriting:

Shuichi,

I hope you know that if they weren't making me go to this stupid thing, I'd be there with you right now.

The only good thing about going is I'll get to see first hand how Masa does with Sakura - and maybe help cut him off to stop him from rambling when he first meets her. I hope you have fun imagining all his stress tonight! It's going to be hilarious.

And don't worry about the boys here. There's not a one that can hold a candle to the fire in my heart that burns whenever I think of you. You are, and have always been, my love.

I left you something to keep your mind occupied. As always, you'll be the first one to read them.

It's my Christmas Present to you.

I love you.

Kyoumi

Holding the note close his heart, he smiled dreamily, and thought, 'I bet even in whatever dress they've chosen this year, she'll look like an angel.'

Then he grabbed a pan to start cooking some dinner. The sooner he finished eating, the sooner he could settle down and read some more about his girl.

X

He was deeply snuggled into the couch - in his pajama pants and a t-shirt - and about half-way through the 5th story when the doorbell rang.

He'd taken his time reading each story, then holding his place in the book, he closed his eyes and replayed what he'd just read, burning it into his memory as a part of the woman he loved and what he loved about her.

_Coming Home_

_Ryuho gave her a grimace. It was his very first expression as she stepped off the train. He took one look at her and grimaced. Her own expression became sad for a moment and then she forced a smile in place._

_"Ryuho! You came to pick me up. I thought I was going to have to take a cab." She embraced him, hoping he'd pick her up and swing her around like he used to. But deep down, she suspected that he might never do that again._

_He smiled gently at her as he returned the hug loosely. "Suki, do you really think I'd let you catch a cab? You might never make it home then."_

_Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Ryuho, I'm a grown woman now. I think I know how to catch a cab."_

_Her older brother just sighed and said, "Don't remind me. And that's not what I meant."_

_The girl cocked her head questioningly at him and he continued as they walked out of the train station and to his car, "I hate that dress on you."_

_Frowning, she replied, "Oh." The back of her memory tickled a bit - like there was something she was forgetting. Something important._

_"But I'm glad you're home. Finally." He held the door open for her and placed her bags in the back. Once he was seated, she smiled happily up at him._

_"I'm glad you and Tsukushi are letting me stay with you instead of having to stay with mom & dad. This way I'll get to see you more. I've missed you a bunch."_

_"Yeah." His voice was sad. She didn't know what was going on. Her favorite sibling. Her brother - the one she'd always been closest to - was he pushing her away? She was finally home for summer, and instead of fighting and laughing with her, he was quiet and sullen._

_"Um. Ryuho, there's nothing wrong with you and Tsukushi is there?"_

_He started, looking at her with surprise. "No. She's doing fine - three months along. Why?"_

_'It must be me then.' "No reason." She paused for a minute. "Are you sure you want me staying with you? You must want all the time you can have with her to yourself before your kid arrives..."_

_He looked at her suspiciously. "Don't you want to stay with me? With us?"_

_Sighing in exasperation she responded, "Of course I do! I asked, didn't I?" They drove in silence for a few minutes. Finally, she got fed up. "Okay, are you going to tell me why you're acting all weird? Or are you going to spend the whole two weeks I'm here acting like you've been taken over by the body snatchers?"_

_"Wha-?"_

_"Don't give me 'Wha?'. What is up?" The silence hung for several more minutes._

_Finally, he responded softly, "You're all grown up."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_He sighed and repeated himself. "You're all grown up. Soon you're going to have a boyfriend. And then you'll get married, and I'm going to lose my little squirt entirely. And I'm not ready. I... I'll miss you too much."_

_Laughing, she replied, "You're an idiot. Don't you know I'll always be your baby sister?" She smiled softly at him and put her hand on his arm. "Always."_

_His face softened and he gave her a glowing smile. "I still hate that dress on you, though."_

_It was good to be home._

It warmed his heart how important her family was to her. He felt the same way about his mom and dad - even though he rarely saw them.

OH, and soon he'd have to introduce her to them. He had told his mother he was dating, but nothing about the engagement ring yet. Still, something about the way she ended their last conversation made him think she would not be at all surprised.

And there was still the fact that he had to meet her parents. He wanted to meet them BEFORE he proposed. Maybe at the graduation. Maybe. Would that give him enough time before the trip to Io's.

Dammit. He needed to talk to Umeda about setting that up. But not yet. There was no need to endure the kind of teasing that would induce for 3 whole months!

He settled in to the fifth story, and drank in all things Kyoumi. Until the doorbell rang.

At first he didn't really hear it. But whoever was at the door was persistent. Finally, it broke through the story to his consciousness. "What? It's.." He looked at his watch and saw the time as 12:47am. "It's almost one in the morning. Who the hell?"

Looking through the peephole, he saw one severely pissed looking Sakura, arms crossed tightly, one foot tapping as she waited. 'Uh oh. This can't be good.'

He unlocked and opened the door. "Sakura-imouto, what on earth brings-"

"Don't you DARE Sakura-imouto me! Not after what YOU did!"

Blinking at her he couldn't have looked more dumbfounded if he'd tried. "What I did? What did I do?"

"I can't believe you! You're acting like you don't know!" She stormed past him into the house, and he quickly rushed in after her, leaving the door open wide. She quickly found her way into the kitchen and pointed to the vase. "She even left you a FLOWER?"

"Sakura, what are you talking about? What's going on? Is Kyoumi-"

"Is Kyoumi, WHAT!" She spun to face him and pointed her finger so it was stabbing him in the chest. She saw the terror in his face but was relentless. Outrage clearly defined on her face, she poked him in the chest with each shouted word for emphasis: "STANDING BEHIND YOU WITH HER ROOMMATE'S NEW BOYFRIEND!"

She kept up the charade until the words' meaning began to sink in. Then she raised one eyebrow and smiled at him for a second and as his expression grew more puzzled, she threw her arms around him, hugging him and laughing as he turned to see Kyoumi and Masa giggling behind him. "New... boyfriend?"

Sakura smiled and nodded at him, grinning from ear to ear and softly said, "And Kyoumi says you have something to do with me having the best dancer at the whole dance all to myself. Remind me to thank you later, Niisan."

"Okay, guys," Kyoumi stopped giggling long enough to say, "you agreed to walk me here, but I think that's enough torment for one night. You'll have plenty of time to haunt him later."

Masa gave a thumbs up and agreed, "Yeah - like when we start coming over for dinners on Thursday nights together."

"Wha- WHAT?" Nakatsu stuttered his confusion.

They all laughed. "See, he's SO easy to torment!" Sakura grabbed Masa by the hand and said, "See you back at the room, Kyoumi. Don't stay out too late. You still have to pack for the train ride home."

And with that, the new couple left the older couple alone.

Kyoumi immediately embraced her man, smiling fondly. He held her tightly, tucking her head under his chin. "So I take it the dance was a success for our boy?"

Kyoumi nodded, pulling back slightly so she could look up into his eyes. "You wouldn't believe it. They were named best couple. And Kayashima-san and Midori were hoping for that title for themselves. But even Kayashima-san said that they were glowing too brightly for them to have NOT gotten it."

Nakatsu gave her a soft smile. "That's nice."

Running her hand along his chin, she said, "Hmmm. Is that why you wanted to go to the dance so badly? Were you hoping for that title for us?"

His fiery eyes burned with sincerity as he said, "I don't need a stupid title to know that we're fated to be happily together forever." Then he kissed her forehead and said, "But it's nice that Sakura-imouto can have that, too."

She nodded. "And don't worry, I only danced with one boy - because I was forced to. The rest of the time, I worked at the punch stand." She winked at him and he grinned.

"Well, I didn't mean for you to not enjoy yourself."

"What? You think watching Masa with Sakura wasn't fun? He didn't even bother to say anything to her at first except, 'May I have the pleasure of a dance?' Then, as they were dancing, he told her that she was the most beautiful woman in the room."

"How do you know this if you were working the punch stand?"

Rolling her eyes, "Duh. Girls always go to the bathroom in pairs for a reason. Anyway, she confessed to me that if he hadn't been dancing so well, that kind of 'line' would have gotten him a sock in the jaw. By their second dance though, he told her that he'd seen her kick that guy's butt a year ago and that he was impressed."

By this time, the couple was snuggled on the couch, Kyoumi on his lap, Nakatsu just stroking his hand up and down her arm.

"Well, you know how Sakura is, she made some sort of smart alec remark about it taking him a year to get up his nerve to talk to her and what kind of man did he think he was - purely defense mechanism, I think. Their dancing was so beautiful, I think she felt way too vulnerable.

"Anyway, without missing a beat, Masa said, 'I'm the kind of man who takes the time to make sure he's ready, so that when he goes after a woman as intelligent and beautiful as you, he can give her all that she deserves.' And then he spun her, pulled her back to him, and dipped her almost to the floor. Everyone watching was frozen, it looked like he was about to lean in for a kiss. But he said, 'I would never presume to kiss a woman unless I could be certain it would be welcomed.' And then he brought her upright, bowed over her hand and said, 'I'd like to continue dancing with you this evening.'

"He was pretty smooth. A few girls came up and tried to get him to dance with them, and he said that he would only dance with Sakura, and if she didn't dance with him, he wouldn't dance at all. Said he just wasn't interested. They were standing right by the punch stand by then. I had a hard time not laughing."

"So, I take it she agreed to dance with him again?"

"Only after he sat down with her and talked with her for about half an hour. She said she wanted to know him first - dancing doesn't tell you the whole story.

"Next thing I know, they're talking, and he's rambling 1,000 miles a minute, but she's laughing and hanging on his every word."

"You're kidding?"

Eyes wide, she shook her head no. "They just really seemed to work."

"You know, that rarely happens in situations like this."

"I know."

The two just sat cuddled for a few more moments, thinking about how sweet it was that the two kids found each other like this.

Then Kyoumi sighed. "I... leave tomorrow you know."

"I know. And apparently you haven't packed yet."

She sighed in response. "Yeah," she said quietly. "I... wanted to spend Christmas with you, but Mom and Dad..."

Smiling, he placed a finger on her lips. "We've been over this before. It's okay. You should go home and spend the holidays with your family. And I'm going to do the same. But next year, I'm keeping you all to myself!" he declared, and she laughed.

"It's a deal." She laid her head against his chest and breathed in his scent.

"Hey, you know what? It's after midnight, so it's officially Christmas Eve Day." He lifted her as he stood, then set her back on the couch. "Wait right here." He ran toward the bedroom, while she wondered what was going on.

He came back with his hands behind his back. "Because it's officially Christmas, I can give you THIS!" He pulled out a rectangular box fand handed it to her.

Eyes widened as she looked at the burgundy box with a gold bow on it. This was... something expensive. She could tell. Tentatively she took the proffered box, and slowly she opened it.

His eyes were glued to her face and he was chewing his lower lip nervously as the box opened and she gasped. "Do- do you like it?"

"My god, Shuichi! It's beautiful!" He beamed.

"It's not nearly as beautiful as you." She was too stunned to do anything but smile up at him dazedly. "Here, let me put it on for you."

She handed him the box, and he pulled the bracelet out and with shaking hands, managed to get the clasp to secure it around her wrist.

Looking down, "You... shouldn't have. It's... too much."

Pulling her to him, he replied, "No. It's not enough. Merry Christmas, Kyoumi-ai."

"Merry Christmas, Shuichi-ai."

They kissed tenderly, and then he stood up, holding her hands and pulling her up with him. "Well, I better walk you to your dorm. I believe you still have some packing to do."

Looking down sheepishly, she nodded. They put on their coats and shoes, and headed toward St. Blossom's, his arm around her shoulder the whole way.

Outside the gates, he pulled another package out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Shuichi! You already gave me a Christmas present-"

"This is for the New Year. Open it as the sun rises on the new year, and think of me." He held her tightly, and she began to cry.

"I don't want to be away from you." Her tears fell onto his shoulder, and he stroked her back.

"Well, you could always blow off your family and come spend the holidays with me." She looked up at him in shock. Was he serious? It looked like he was. "But my mom's a handful. I was kinda hoping to delay that kind of trauma for you."

She laughed. He was serious and joking at the same time. But she couldn't take him up on it. She needed to spend one last holiday with her family as a girl, because soon she would be leaving them to live her own, adult life. "No. I do need to go home to my family."

"Yeah. I know." He lifted her chin and kissed her tenderly. "Be safe while we're apart."

"You, too," she replied. Neither of them said any more. They just kissed one more time, and then separated. She disappeared inside the gate, and he walked home, alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	17. 17 Happy Holidays

Shuichi had not dropped her off at the train station. Instead, she and Sakura shared a cab with Masa. It wasn't that he'd refused, it's that she had insisted that Nakatsu not see her until she got back from break. She just KNEW that if she saw him as she was actually getting ready to leave, she would not be able to take the steps to board the train. She'd never be able to peel herself out of his arms.

The train ride home was a time of quiet reflection. She did not even write. She just braced herself for the event to come. Would anyone notice anything different about her? Would they notice she didn't have the wrist band on anymore? Would they notice the bracelet that was now in its place?

She stared at the bracelet. God, it was so beautiful. She knew that the stones were real - even though she'd never have been able to tell the difference on her own, she knew. Shuichi just wasn't the kind of guy to go halfway. And the way it sparkled in the sunlight.

When she looked down at it, she realized how much she had missed that old arm band. She knew she had something better - Shuichi himself - but for 14 years, she'd worn that band, and when she gave it back, her arm felt naked. Now, with the bracelet in its place, she truly felt that the two items held the same place in her heart. 'I wonder how weird that really is. Hisa would have a cow. She'd never see the value of that band, but I know she'd appreciate this. Then again, Hisa can be a total idiot.

'Should I even let anyone see this? Should I hide it? But wouldn't hiding it be like hiding my relationship? I don't want to do that. I love him.

'But there is no way that Makoto will ever approve. Mom and Dad just want me to be happy, and eventually I'll probably be able to convince them that this is real and right and what I want. But Makoto... he'd just lose it.

'Then again, he's really not that perceptive about these kind of things. He might not even notice the bracelet, and if he did, he certainly wouldn't know it's expensive - and he for sure wouldn't immediately assume that the bracelet means I have a boyfriend.'

She leaned back in her seat. 'That settles it. I'm not going to hide it, but I'm not going to call it out.

'But what about when Tamami sees it? She's going to automatically know that it means I've got a boyfriend. Mom, too,but Mom will keep quiet and ask me about it only when we're alone. Tamami, she'll blurt it out in front of everyone.' She bit her lower lip as she thought about how to handle it.

'If I... just say I have a boyfriend, she'll never let it go. And if I have to say it in front of Makoto, he'll wig - almost as much as he'd wig if he knew WHO. I'm going to have to talk to Tamami alone right away. If I get her to conspire with me, she'll love that! And I'll... just promise Mom that I'll let her know more at graduation. If I promise that Sakura approves and is watching out for me, she'll be okay.'

Breathing a sigh of relief, she relaxed, assured that her plan was a workable one, and then took a little nap until her train pulled into the station.

X

With her well-packed bag in one hand, purse over her shoulder, she stepped off the train and began walking toward the exit. As she walked, she wasn't paying any attention to the people there waiting to pick up loved ones - it was, after all, just a short cab ride from the station to the shrine. Probably not more than 5000 yen.

So when a large hand came down on her head like Micheal Jordan about to pick up a basketball, she let out a loud, "YIPE!" as she jumped around to see what was attacking. But before she even got fully turned around, his laughter gave him away.

"Makoto!" She embraced him in a giant bear hug, and he picked her up and swung her around. Until she met Nakatsu again just months ago, she'd thought that nothing in the world could make her feel as special, as loved, as warm, as when her big brother twirled her like that.

He set her down and she smiled up at him with a grin so large she thought it might crack her face. "You came to pick me up! You didn't have to do that. I coulda just caught a cab."

Tousling her hair, he gave her one of his trademarked cocksure smirks. "Oh yeah. Right, shrimp. You think you're tall enough that a driver would even see you to stop for you?"

Laughing, she shook her head, "Ya know, I'm not just a little kid anymore. I don't think stopping a cab would be an issue."

Grimacing, he looked her up and down. "Don't remind me. I don't like to think of my baby sister stopping traffic. I'm gonna hafta start beating the boys off with a stick."

Her quiet smile should have said it all to him, but he took it as her just being demure. "I don't think that will be an issue, Aniki."

He just put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a half hug as he pulled her toward the exit. "Come on. Mom and Dad'll start to worry if I don't get you home. Oh. And Merry Christmas, Imouto."

"Right back atcha, Aniki."

XXXX

As she curled up in the covers of the bed she grew up in, Kyoumi's mind reflected on the events of the day.

Her mother had hugged her tightly and exclaimed about how pretty she looked. It was clear that she had noted that Kyoumi was no longer make-up free, so Kyoumi blamed that on Sakura - how she kept playing dress up with her, and that she had eventually given in. It was answer enough to appease the men, but she knew her mom and sister weren't buying it.

So, she took the first opportunity to sneak Tamami up to their room for some girl time.

"Okay, kiddo. You've got some 'splaining to do."

"Uh..." Now that she was here, she didn't really know how to start.

Tamami had taken a seat on the bed, cross-legged, and leaned back a bit, waiting for an answer, but when she saw hesitation, she jumped in. "Don't think I'm buying that crap about Sakura. YOU're wearing make-up. YOU. The one who cringed every time anyone said she was beautiful - OH, and you are. And it still pisses me off that you're prettier than me-"

"I'm NOT-"

"YES. You are. I've accepted it. It pisses me off, but there's not anything I can do about it. BUT! You're wearing makeup. And THAT means that you've got a guy! Because I KNOW you and nothing less would make you change your mind about-" She stopped with a gasp.

Kyoumi looked at her with trepidation, and saw her sister staring at her wrist.

"OH MY GOD! You took off that ratty, god-awful wrist band!" The vivacious soon-to-be-doctor grabbed her sister's arm and took a closer look. "OH MY GODDDD!" She exclaimed as she saw the bracelet.

Pushing her off and waving her arms, Kyoumi frantically tried to settle her sister down. "Shhhhhhh. Shh shh shhhhhh! I don't want everyone to know yet!"

Still inspecting the bling, Tamami said softly, "Holy crap, Kyoumi. This is REAL. Genuine emeralds and completely clear diamonds in a platinum setting. Your boyfriend can afford this?! What is he, heir to some dynasty?" She looked at her sister and joked, "Or did you seduce one of the teachers?"

Kyoumi blushed and looked away.

Softly, "You're kidding." Tamami grabbed her sister and turned her to look at her. "You're having an affair with a teacher?" It was so softly spoken, and Kyoumi could hear the concern in her sister's voice - the unspoken this-will-only-end-up-hurting-you-believe-me-I-know-first-hand.

Kyoumi looked at her sister, looked deeply into her sister's eyes and said, "Promise me you won't tell anyone yet, and I'll tell you everything."

"I won't tell anyone. Yet." Kyoumi smiled slightly as she understood that Tamami's qualifier meant that if she thought her baby sister was in over her head, all bets were off.

Still holding her sister's eyes, she said, "There's a new head coach at Ohsaka Gakuen. And I gave him back his wristband." Then she waited for her sister to do the math.

"NA-" she began to shriek, but then pulled it down to a reasonable tone when she saw Kyoumi start to freak out. "Nakatsu Shuichi. That guy you've been infatuated with since you were three. What is he, a total perv?"

Kyoumi grimaced. "No. Actually, he's not. He never thought about me at all. For 14 years I've been completely fantasizing about him and he never gave me a single thought.

"I know it didn't seem like it, but I realized that would be the case from the start. And in my heart, while I wished he'd love me, I never really thought he would. So I started staking out the restaurant that the fanzines said he went to everytime he was in town. I was waiting to give him back his wrist band, and for him to not have a clue who I was and to do a 'okay, whatever' and look at me like I was psycho. And then I'd get on with my life.

"Finally, in late August, he was there at the restaurant when I was. And I gave him back his wrist band. I was ready to give up finally. I swear by everything in me that's what I thought would happen.

"But, he saw the wrist band, and when I told him that I'd promised to return it to him the next time I saw him, he said my name. And he was happy to see me. And we started talking about everything and nothing.

"And, Tamami," she looked up at her sister with tears in her eyes as she said, "he was even more wonderful than all my fantasizing ever dreamed up."

"Wait a second. I thought that Nakatsu quit the football team in September," Tamami's face was a picture of a woman trying not to say anything that would cause her sister to stop talking and shut her out.

"He... quit the football team right after we met, and he took a job at Ohsaka Gakuen within a week."

"Moves pretty fast," the pre-intern said skeptically.

Kyoumi nodded. "He's always been like that. You heard Makoto back in high school. He'd even declared his love in front of the whole school for that girl who'd dressed up like a boy to get into Ohsaka - remember. He... pretty much always does everything from the heart. He... On our first date, he had me help pick out a house for him, and put a bid on it right away."

Tamami's eyes were wide as pie-plates. "He bought a house with you?"

Kyoumi nodded. "I told him not to. But he... did anyway. And he had me pick out all the furniture to go in the house. Well, except for the dressing table. That he bought because he said he thought I'd look good brushing my hair at it."

Blinking in amazement, Tamami quipped, "So how many dates did it take before he proposed?"

Smiling, Kyoumi said, "He hasn't yet. Not really."

"What the hell does THAT mean? He... Has he promised to marry you so that you'd..."

Kyoumi's visage grew dark, and she spoke in the soft voice that clearly told the world that she was about to be very angry. "Don't even SUGGEST such a thing. He's a GOOD man. I was the one who tried to get him to... but he said that he would not do that until we were married."

"Yeah, right. What is he, gay?"

At that, Kyoumi's ire solidified and her eyes blazed as she said in a soft voice that was more filled with venom than a raised voice could possibly be, "Don't you DARE talk like you know him! You don't know anything about him! You were too busy chasing our brother's rival to even remember him from that summer. And you haven't been there. You haven't seen. You don't know how hard it's been for him - how many times... At first I tried everything. I just wanted to feel him, I wanted to feel him so BAD. Maybe I thought that would prove that it wasn't real - it couldn't be real. Not even in a story could things work out like this.

"And EVERY TIME, he'd stop himself - stop us - and he'd sit there quietly while he got himself under control again, while all I wanted him to do was TAKE ME! But he won't do it. Not until we're married.

"And I WILL marry him. If this family won't accept it, I'll..." Her anger was gone now, and she looked down sadly, "I'll just have to leave the family."

They sat in silence for several minutes. When Kyoumi quietly looked up at her sister, she saw that Tamami's eyes were moist, and her own grew wide. "You always were too fucking lucky." And the older Kagurazaka embraced the younger. "My baby sister's gonna get married!" She released her from the hug, but held onto her shoulders. "But I better get to meet him soon."

Kyoumi nodded and said, "All you have to do is visit me at school. He'd want you to come over and he'll cook you dinner." She sighed in delight, "He's an AWESOME cook."

Tamami laughed and wiped her eyes, "Among other things, huh!"

Kyoumi blushed and agreed, "Among other things."

"You're going to have to tell mom, you know. She already noticed the makeup."

Sighing, she responded, "I know. But... I don't know if I should tell her WHO. I mean, I knew you'd be the most supportive of this, and you almost flipped out."

Smiling, Tamami said, "Well... let's save that for if the holidays get too boring. But we'll give her enough of a hint where if she's paying attention, she'll figure it out. Then, you can tell her the final detail the day before you leave. That'll give her enough time to realize that if she doesn't accept it, she'll lose you for good. And I'll remind her that Sakura has given her approval. If THAT doesn't convince her that he's good enough for you, nothing will."

"Thanks, Neechan." She hugged her sister tightly. They stood up to rejoin the family for the holiday meal, and as they left the room, Kyoumi said, "And there's no WAY I'm prettier than you, Tamami."

Her older sister hugged her tightly with one arm as she rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest."

XXXXXXX

For the past 10 years, this time of year was a tradition. Nakatsu would take a train to visit his parents on Chrismas Day, and stay with them for 4 or 5 days. Then, he'd catch a plane to Hokkaido and stay with the Sanos for the New Year. He'd have one or two days helping them and the kids clean up the house, and then he'd babysit the kids so that the Izumi and Mizuki could have a romantic dinner together. Usually, they'd stay out all night, and watch the sun come up from the point over the town where they'd stood together on their school trip all those years ago. Back at the house, Nakatsu would entertain the rugrats til they fell asleep. About 1/2 hour before sunup, he'd wake them up and they'd put on their winter gear, climb up to the roof, and watch the sun come up.

He'd planned this year to be no different. But when he walked in the front door of his parents' house, his mom hugged him and said, "Oh, your girlfriend couldn't make it?"

Without realizing she was joking he responded earnestly, "No, she had to go home-" D'oh! His mom's eyes were wide. She quickly took both his hands and lead him into the kitchen, seating him at the table there.

"Tell me all about her!" He'd never had a girlfriend in his entire life - that she knew about - and she had pretty much given up hope. And with the level of excitement he'd once expressed about one of his classmates, she assumed he'd... chosen DC.

Sighing, he said, "Mom." He closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to se her excited expression. "Her name is Kyoumi. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever met. Her hair is long beautiful black velvet waves, and her eyes are so deep you could drown in them." He didn't realize it, but his face had taken on a cute smile that was incredibly dreamy. "She's so smart, and she's going to be a writer, and for some insane reason," he opened his eyes and looked at his mother, "she loves me." Her eyes were warm as she saw how happy her son was.

"Well," she smiled fondly at him, "are we going to get to meet her before you marry her?"

"I'd like that, mom," he said, and she hugged him.

"How long have you known her?" she asked as she broke from the hug and began puttering around the kitchen to put finishing touches on their Christmas dinner.

"Uh... well that requires a little explanation, and I think you're going to not like something about her, and I want you to know that I love her more than anything, mom. She's more important to me than playing football was."

"My. That DOES sound serious." She was a bit amused and not at all afraid of anything he might say. He wasn't gay, he was in love - she was not about to sweat the details. "Tell me."

"I met her 14 and a half years ago. That summer that I went to work for Umeda's sister instead of coming home." He paused and said, "I... uh... well... I can say that I never EVER would have thought for a second that she'd be the love of my life then. Even though I spent most of the time she was there with her. She... was... only three."

His mother paused and blinked her eyes. "You're... dating a 17 year old girl?"

"No. She's 18. She graduates in three months."

Nodding her head curtly, she said, "And you plan to marry her?"

"Yes."

She took a breath and looked up at something - like she was thinking hard. "You ARE planning to wait til after she graduates before you marry her, right?"

"Yes, of course!"

Pursing her lips, she said, "You're not... pushing intimacy on her are you?"

With a look that was halfway shocked and halfway offended, "Mother! Of course not! I would never do anything to hurt her - her honor or her reputation."

At that, his mother stood up and went back to cooking dinner. With a smile she said, "Well, okay then. I do still want to meet her BEFORE you get married. If you don't mind, son."

Smiling softly, he stood and hugged her from behind. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Shuichi." Chopping up the vegetables, she said, "So tell me more about her. What's her name? How did you meet again? How many grandchildren do you plan to give me?"

Laughing, he sat down at the table to tell his story.

XXXXXXX

The girls' plan worked pretty well. Mom was satisfied that a nice boy was dating her daughter. Kyoumi had told her that the boy did not believe in pre-marital sex, and that went a long way toward making her feel satisfied with the few other details that were shared. And Mom agreed not to spill the beans to Dad, who probably would tease her mercilessly, or to Makoto who would most likely flip out and get overprotective.

Makoto'd been somewhat of a playboy in high school, so he naturally assumed all guys were assholes who couldn't be trusted with his sisters. The fact that Tamami had gotten badly hurt by some scumbag before she even was in high school - Makoto never did figure out who it was, but if he had, he would have probably killed the guy - had a lot to do with reinforcing that assumption.

To this day, only Kyoumi knew that it was one of Tamami's teachers who'd seduced her and then dumped her cold. Now, Tamami laughed about it - at least she got high marks in the class - but at the time, she'd been even more devastated than when Sano hadn't been interested in her.

And oddly enough, they kept the secret of Nakatsu from Saki, Makoto's wife, too. They knew that if they asked her to keep it a secret, she would honor their request - she wouldn't even tell Makoto - but, she was about 5 months pregnant now and still dealing with occasional bouts of morning sickness, so they thought they'd be nice to her and keep potential stress down to a minimum.

After Christmas, they began their end of year cleaning. They liked to get it done early so that they could relax on New Year's Eve. And once that was done, Mrs. Kagurazaka (Sr.) took her two daughters out for some shopping. Kyoumi didn't have to pretend very hard to be disinterested. She still thought shopping was a pain in the butt. But... once they were at the stores, and her mom and sister were picking outfits for her that "her boyfriend would just LOVE," she got into it - for the first time in her life.

Except.

Tamami held up the dress and squealed in delight. "Oh, Kyoumi! You HAVE to try this on! Nakatsu will aDORE you in it." Then she froze as she saw Kyoumi's look of stark terror.

Slowly, Tamami turned to look over her shoulder at her mother who had gone very still, her face white with shock.

Both girls didn't move an inch as they saw their mother look back and forth between them.

"You're... your boyfriend... Am I to understand that this boyfriend of yours is Nakatsu Shuichi?"

Kyoumi nodded slowly.

"The same Nakatsu Shuichi that you were insane about for all these years?"

Tamami answered that one. "Yes and no."

Mrs. Kagurazaka's head snapped toward Tamami. "Yes and no. So you knew?" Tamami nodded. "And what does 'Yes and no' mean?"

"It means he's the person I met all those years ago, mom," Kyoumi answered, "But he's not the product of my overworked childish imagination. He's much more real. And much... better. And... he loves me, mom. He really does. I'm not delusional."

Kyoumi had begun a ramp up to a rambling confession, but her mother cut her off by holding up both hands in a "stop" gesture.

"That." Hands still up in front of her and she drew a breath. "Is." And then, her hands clasped in front of her as she broke out into a warm smile, "So incredibly ROMANTIC!" (AN: In Japan, there's a lot of stories about kids falling in love at ludicrously young ages, and then one moves away, and they have to find their way back together. It's a romantic ideal to be dedicated to your childhood love. Just look at Ai Yori Aoshi and Love Hina.) She almost floated to her youngest daughter and embraced her. "I worried so much about you all these years, because so few people ever do end up with their childhood loves. But you were so dedicated, and it was so sweet. OH!" She held her daughter by the shoulders and said, "I am so HAPPY!"

Kyoumi's jaw was unhinged, and she looked up at her sister as if to say, "Is this really happening?" but Tamami's eyes were bugging out of her head as she shook it and shrugged in a "I have no idea" gesture.

"Well, we are definitely getting the outfits we've picked out for you today. And when are you going to bring him home so we can meet him?"

This snapped the girls back to reality. Kyoumi looked up at her sister for assistance. "Uh, Mom, can you keep it from Dad and Makoto for a while? Kyoumi doesn't really need that kind of pressure before her finals."

Her mother stood up straight. "Oh. Right. That's probably a good idea - at least until you've graduated. Makoto enjoys being the only man in your life - other than Dad of course. Although, it WOULD be interesting to find out whether a football star or a high jumper does better in a fight." She looked like she was actually contemplating it, but the girls just laughed and soon she joined them.

As Tamami pressed the previously mentioned dress into her sister's hands and directed her to the fitting room, Kyoumi once again thanked kami for the wonderful family she was blessed with.

XXXXXXXXX

Kissing his mother goodbye, with a promise that he'd bring Kyoumi over before graduation, Nakatsu took a cab to the airport. On the flight, a couple of the stewardesses tried to flirt with him - he still had some fans left, even though the spotlight had definitely passed and he was on his way to becoming last year's news. But he told them his heart was spoken for already, and they grudgingly left him alone so he could relax and enjoy the short jaunt to see his extended family.

X

"Uncle Shuichi!!"

That's all he had time to hear before he was tackled by a 10-year old girl with short, shaggy, medium brown hair and a 7-year old boy with jet black hair. The quieter 12-year old young man who had let him in stood off to the side grinning and looking on as four small hands worked their way under the coat of the man who had fallen back onto his butt and began seeking purchase for a full-out tickle attack.

Luckily, before they could hit the secret spot, a voice came booming down the hall, "Takara, Atae! Get off Uncle Nakatsu this moment!" and Sano Izumi came around the corner into the front room. His voice had sounded angry, but one look at his face, and you could see amusement clearly written there.

"Aw," Takara pouted, her cute little face a miniature version of Izumi's, but with Mizuki's mop of hair, and her tomboy attitude. "But I wanna hear Uncle Shuichi squeal!"

Atae nodded and smiled. "He sounds so funny," he said quietly. The youngest had Sano's dark hair, Mizuki's eyes, but a bone structure that was all his own - such an adorable face, you couldn't help but smile when you looked at him. And he almost always was smiling quietly or giggling.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call him Uncle Nakatsu - it's not polite to call him Uncle Shuichi?"

"Oh, Seiko, you're such a pain." Takara stuck her tongue out at her older brother, and Nakatsu puzzled again how a young man could look so much like Mizuki (except for his jet black hair) yet be such a duplicate copy in attitude of a young Sano.

Izumi scooped Takara up off Nakatsu and looking in her face said, "Be nice to your brother." Then he set her down on her feet and she pouted hugely, her lower lip making a perfect little perch.

Leaning in toward her conspiratorially, Nakatsu said in a stage whisper, "It's okay. I like it that you call me Uncle Shuichi." Then he winked and the little girl's smile broke as bright as sunshine.

Sano reached down with one hand to help his old friend to his feet. "Sorry about that. They've been really excited to see you - and Seiko seems to be the only one to realize that they're getting too big to jump on you anymore."

He pounded himself in the chest and said, "It's okay. I'm pretty tough. Besides," and he leaned over to grab one of the bags he'd brought with him, "I'm happy they're glad to see ME, and aren't just looking for the presents I brought."

"Presents? You brought presents?" Takara voiced it and soon Atae was saying, "Yay! I wanna present. Yay!" Both of them had surrounded their guest and were bouncing up and down in front of him, and when even Seiko took a step forward with an excited look on his face, Nakatsu's booming laugh echoed through the room.

"Of COURSE I brought presents for my three favorite beasts. Don't I always?" He was happy, though, that they didn't take it for granted.

"First," he pulled out a wrapped package - a pyramid of three boxes, and handed it to the ever quiet Seiko. "A gift for the first born."

Politely, he said, "Thanks, Uncle Nakatsu."

"Next!" He reached into his bag and pulled out another pyramid package. "A gift for the princess."

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Thanks, Uncle-" she paused and directing the comment toward her older brother said with great emphasis, "Shu-i-chi!"

That brought a chuckle from Nakatsu and a glare from Seiko. Digging deep into his bag, he pulled out one more package - again, three boxes tied together. "And a gift for a gift!"

Giving him a big bear hug first, Atae responded, "Thanks, Uncle Shu-katsu." Nakatsu hugged him back and laughed. It was very much like the young boy to try to please both his older siblings like that.

"Do you want us to open them now, Uncle Nakatsu?" Seiko asked quietly.

Nakatsu wasn't quite sure how Mizuki could possibly have birthed a child that polite. The only thing he could figure is that the child had felt his mother's sorrow so strongly for the first of his developmental months, and then the subsequent joy once the couple was reunited, that it had impacted his character even before birth. And the child had been extremely well behaved from the moment he had been born.

Before answering, he glanced up at Sano, who looked over at the woman entering from the other side of the room. She answered for him. "No one's opening anything until I get a hug from my favorite Uncle."

"Mizuki-chan!" He cried and stood up quickly to sweep her into a giant hug that lifted her off the ground. He was pleased to find that his heart still leapt at her presence, but that it was just joy to be with his friend - not anything more. A memory of Kyoumi's soft lips on his made his smile warmer, and he felt completely at peace for the first time with his friends. No lingering trace of regret. He knew that fate had led them all here, and he put his full faith that everything would work out as it should.

He laughed and carried her, still in his arms, her feet dangling about two inches above the floor, toward Sano - who tried to back out of his way. Shifting direction toward his best friend, he blocked him into the wall, and then squished Mizuki between them so he could pull Izumi into the hug with him. Laughing happily as Sano gave in and hugged back, he could hear Takara saying, "Uncle Shuichi's making a mommy sandwich" and then laughing.

As he let go, he was surprised to feel Atae tugging on his pant leg. "Does that mean we can open them now?" he asked, his eyes wide and innocent.

Mizuki giggled and said, "Okay by me."

"Go for it, champ," Nakatsu said, grinning from ear to ear.

"YAY!" Atae sat down in the middle of the room and lustily began ripping off paper. The baseball cap got a "oooh, cool," and the set of new Yu-Gi-Oh cards got a "COOOOOL!" But when he opened the smallest package, he pulled out the squishy sack and said, "Huh?"

With a snort, the visiting uncle explained. "It's a hackysack. It's good for hand/eye coordination. Here, let me show you."

He stood up, and Mizuki yelled, "Not HERE! You can show him later - in the play room. Where there's not so much for you to break."

Shrugging guiltily, he mumbled, "Sorry."

Takara squeaked her delight over the jersey with her favorite football player's number on it. It wasn't Shuichi's number, but that was okay with him. And she laughed when she saw the twenty questions ball. "Oh, neat. Mai has one of these at school." But when she opened up the third gift, she gasped.

"Here, let me help you put it on, princess." Nakatsu pulled the necklace out of the box and put it around her neck. It was made of tri-color gold, and the pendant was a treasure chest with a rose on its top.

"Look, mama! It's ME!" Mizuki made sure to give the appropriate oohs and ahs, while smiling gratefully at her old friend.

"Thank you so much, Uncle Shuichi!" The small girl's hugs were all the thanks he needed.

Seiko sat on the couch and carefully opened each box, starting with the biggest and moving to the smallest. He puzzled over the pad of paper for a moment, but then after the brushes, he knew what was in the last one. "A watercolor set! Thanks, Uncle Nakatsu."

Smiling, he said, "Well, your drawings have been getting so good, I thought you might like to try another medium. And... maybe in a few months, I'll come by and bring someone to model for you."

"Really?" He looked at his "Uncle" gratefully, and the happiness he felt at knowing that this man who he loved so much thought his drawings were good shone brightly in his visage.

Nakatsu nodded as Izumi echoed skeptically, "Really?" and Mizuki declared, "Okay, kids, thank your Uncle Nakatsu quickly. The big folk are going to go fix you bottomless pits some dinner and talk about boring stuff, while you put the toys away in the play room."

A chorus of disappointed "Awww"s was heard, and Nakatsu promised them that they'd all play after dinner.

As the small Sanos scuffled off toward the room on the farthest side of the house, Mizuki grabbed Nakatsu's hands and dragged him into the kitchen. Izumi followed behind with an amused smile.

They sat at the kitchen table, Mizuki and Shuichi kiddy-corner from each other, while Izumi stood at the counter in an apron, chopping vegetables for the stew they always ate on the first night of Nakatsu's visit. The first time he'd come to visit, he laughed because Sano was the one who did all the cooking. But since Mizuki often came home late from her veterinary practice due to the dog training classes that she offered after business hours, it really made sense. That, and Sano really was a better cook that she was.

Briefly, Nakatsu recalled when Sano had come back to Ohsaka as a married man. He knew that she couldn't fly and she was determined that her husband graduate from the school they both loved, so he'd gone back to school, and in the meantime, she'd started vocational classes on dog training. She became a certified dog trainer in the state of California two whole days before Seiko was born.

Sano had flown back for her "graduation" - and so he was there when she went into labor that same day. He'd planned to stay for two weeks anyway since she was due later that week. A month later, she and Seiko flew to Japan for Sano's graduation. A second wedding ceremony was held then, so that his family could take part. Then, they moved to Hokkaido and went to college together, making sure their class schedules allowed someone to be home with their new little bundle of joy.

His parents were incredibly helpful - they let the newly married couple live with them throughout college, and after graduation, even helped with the down payment on the house they now owned. Of course, Mizuki's dog training business - which she set up as soon as they got to Hokkaido, and which grew very slowly during their college years - helped bring in extra income until she was set up as a veterinarian. At that point, the training business grew exponentially. Now, she spent more time training people to be good pet parents than she did treating her four-legged patients.

As with any flashback, all these thoughts occurred to Nakatsu in the time that it takes to blink your eyes thrice.

With her usual exuberance, Mizuki was bouncing in her seat. "You met someone. Tell me tell me tell me!!"

His slow smile was enough to make her want to smack him. "Well, you two already met her once..."

Izumi stopped chopping to turn toward them. "We did?"

"Yup!" He was pleased that they hadn't a clue but were obviously excited for him. Then he remembered how some people could perceive the situation as being a bit perverse, and his expression fell a bit.

"What?" Mizuki was always extremely perceptive of his change of moods, even if she did accept his excuses at face value and ignore her own perceptions. "What's wrong?"

Smiling and shaking his head, he responded, "No. Nothing. It's just some people might think it's a bit weird, but it's not like it might seem." Then he remembered her last name and what that had meant for this family. Grimacing, he said, "It's Kagurazaka's sister."

Mizuki sat up straight with her eyes wide and Sano dropped the knife to stare at his friend as if he'd gone crazy. "That crazy girl who was chasing me around all summer?"

Scowling at Sano she said, "Tamami was very nice. I know she had a terrible crush on you, but..." and then she blushed. After all, anything Tamami did would be considered completely normal compared to how insane Mizuki had been for Sano. Turning to her friend, she commented, "And anyway, I think it's nice that she found someone."

Looking down embarassedly, he corrected them, "Actually, it's Kyoumi, not Tamami."

In stereo: "WHAT?!" They both pulled back from him a bit.

"I know it's weird. When I met her she was just a baby. And believe me, I NEVER once thought of her like that -even though you guys liked to tease me about how much she liked me back then. It's just... She's an adult now. I ran into her back in August and she's definitely not a kid anymore. And she gave me back that wristguard I gave her. Remember how she was crying when Kagurazaka told her to tell me goodbye forever?"

Mizuki smiled a bit saying, "She practically pulled all your hair out."

"Right. And I gave her that wristguard and told her that she needed to return it the next time she saw me. Well... she kept it for 14 years."

"Uh, that's either nasty or creepy. I'm not sure which. Maybe both."

"This from the guy that fell in love with the stalker-chick who disguised herself as a boy so that she could go to school with him? Besides, she kept it clean and repaired it when it got worn."

Mizuki nodded, but it was clear she was still troubled. "Well... I suppose it's actually kind of sweet except..."

"Except she's so much younger than me?" Sano nodded and Shuichi's lips were thin as he nodded back. "Yeah. I know a lot of people are going to have a hard time with that. At least they will for the next ten years or so. Then they'll stop caring. But most people will never know unless I tell them how young she is.

"Besides," he joked, "you're always telling me how immature I am, when you put the two of us together, you're going to start thinking SHE's the one robbing the cradle."

Mizuki scrutinized him carefully and said, "You... You're in love with her, aren't you?"

He smiled dreamily and nodded. "More than I've ever loved anyone." She could read his smile that said, "More even than I loved you - if you can believe it."

At that, Mizuki grinned and hugged him. "Well then, that's good enough for me! You have to tell me all about her!"

Picking his knife back up Izumi commented, "What is it with you - always falling in love with the crazy stalker chicks?" But the look he cast to his friend was one of comraderie, and before Nakatsu could say anything he recanted, "I mean, congratulations! So what's she like? When do we get to meet her?"

"She's smart and sweet - she actually writes. Someday, I think she's going to write a novel! But right now she does short stories. And they're amazing! But she never lets anyone read them. Except me. I've read almost all of them now. And, I was thinking that I'd like you guys to meet her pretty soon. Actually... Um...

"Are... Do you guys have any plans for Setsubun?"

(Setsubun is a festival held on February 3rd or 4th, one day before the start of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. It's not a national holiday, but people usually perform rituals to chase away evil spirits. Some people decorate their house entrances with fish heads and holy tree leaves to deter evil spirits from entering. The most common ritual, though, is throwing roasted beans around your house and at temples and shrines. You're supposed to yell "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!"/"Devils out, happiness in" while you throw the beans. Then you're supposed to pick up the number of beans equal to your age and eat them.)

Mizuki and Izumi shared a look before Mizuki replied, "What do you have in mind?"

"Well," he began to work out the details out loud in front of his friends, "it's gonna be tight to get everything in. See, I'm gonna bring her home to meet mom & dad on Kenkoku Kinen No Hi (AN: Founding of the Nation Day, national holiday on February 11), and then we'll be back to school for Valentines Day. Then, we'll have White Day, and then for Shumbun No Hi (AN: Start of Spring/Vernal Equinox, national holiday, March 20), she'll be studying for final exams, so I'll use that time to go ask her parents' permission.

"Then, when she graduates (AN: school year ends March 31), after she has her diploma, I'm going to ask her to go back to Io's place where we met. That's where I'm gonna do it."

"Do it?" Sano queried, as Mizuki said, "Oh my god! You're gonna ask her to marry you at Io's?"

Nakatsu nodded , Izumi gaped, and Mizuki gushed, "Oh, I bet Io's just ecstatic! She loves romance so much. She was so supportive back when..."

"Back when you forgot for a second how much that idiot loves and needs you?" Nakatsu gestured back over to Sano, who just grinned and shook his head.

"Yup. Has she set up a menu for the night you propose yet? She has very definite ideas about the right foods for romance you know."

Laughing, Sano concurred, "I thought we would plan our own wedding, but both ceremonies were taken out of our hands. There, by your dad, and here by Io of all people!"

"But you have to admit, she did a lovely job coordinating everything."

"Yeah. And this way, we got to spend more time together and playing with Seiko." The couple's shared smile was contagious, and Nakatsu wondered if 12 years from now he and Kyoumi would be acting like this.

Still, this was a perfect opportunity to get out of a delicate situation. "Um. Actually, I haven't talked to Io about it yet. I'd... have to go through Umeda, and, well, you know how much he likes to give me a hard time. And since he doesn't have you two to distract him, I don't want to give him any more opportunities than I absolutely have to."

Mizuki looked puzzled. "Why would Umeda-sensei give you a hard time about proposing?"

Nakatsu bit his lower lip and looked around as if for a place to hide in. "Uh... well... the school board doesn't like the fact that I'm dating a student."

Both Mizuki and Sano gave him a questioning look.

"Didn't I tell you that I'm the new coach for Ohsaka Gakuen?"

Their mouths fell open. "NO! You didn't!" Sano yelled.

"You just told us you took a coaching position," Mizuki finished.

"Oh. Really?" Nakatsu shrugged. "Well, I'm at Ohsaka - and I bought Kitayama-sensei's old house. So if you come over for Setsubun, there'll be plenty of room for you to stay. And Sano, you'll love the furo! It's magnificent."

"I can't believe you're the new coach." Sano was almost finished with dinner, and he looked a bit bemused. "Set the table. Dinner's almost done."

"So will you come?"

Shrugging, Mizuki replied, "I can work it into my schedule. Izumi?"

Nodding, he responded, "Yeah. That's actually a good time for me - we're on a slow week for track that week. And Mom will be willing to look after the brats."

Sighing in relief, Nakatsu said, "Oh, thank god. I really wanted Kyoumi to meet you as soon as possible."

"As soon as possible?" Mizuki inquired.

And Sano finished the thought, "Why?"

"Um, yeah. Well. You know, it's always a good thing to not have any secrets from the one you love - I learned that from watching you two and it was one of most painful things I've ever witnessed, I'll have you know, so I learned it well. So when we were on our first date I was really nervous, and I told her that I'd never dated anyone before except Komari-chan back in high school, but that I broke it off with her because I was in love with someone else. So then I kind of had to explain the whole thing and so she knows I was in love with you, well, really, she knew it already from Makoto and his big fat mouth. And although she knows that that was a long time ago and that you and Sano are family and all that, still... There's a difference between knowing something," he tapped his head, "and KNOWING something," he tapped his chest in front of his heart.

"So I wanted her to meet you two. Because once she meets you - once she knows you - she'll know that there's just no way - that she's so... perfect. And," he looked up as he made his declaration, "I want her to know that she's the love I've waited my whole life for - she's all I need. And I want her to know it as soon as possible, so that when I propose, she won't have any question of how much I mean it."

Mizuki had tears streaming down her face, and Nakatsu fretted worriedly. "Oh, Mizuki. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"You big idiot," she swatted him, chuckling through her tears, "I'm just so happy for you!" She jumped into his lap and gave him a gigantic bear hug.

Nakatsu kept his hands free and looked up at Sano in a "help me" gesture only to find that Sano's eyes were misty as well. "We'll be there for Setsubun." Sano's voice was quiet and sure.

"Thanks, guys. And... you can bring the kids if you like. Don't feel like you have to leave 'em home. I mean... I kinda want Kyoumi to meet ALL of you. If they can get out of school." They laughed, and Mizuki disengaged herself from her friend so he could go get the mouths with legs and call them to dinner.

XXX

A glance at his watch said 11:59pm. 'New Year's Eve. It's almost the new year.' He looked back up at the sky, saw the stars twinkling. 'Next year, I'm going to marry you, Kagurazaka Kyoumi,' he silently promised to the heavens. 'Meeting you again made this the best year of my life - but next year will be even better.' Head still raised he closed his eyes and pictured the smiling face that had changed him - made him look forward instead of back. "Happy New Year, my love."

A flash of warmth like that he always felt in her presence flooded him and he smiled as he turned to re-enter the house. In a few more hours, he'd wake his three favorite bratlings to take them out to wish upon the first morning light of the new year.

XXX

Standing next to the fountain by the shrine, she looked up to the sky. Stars were twinkling overhead. 'Happy New Year, Shuichi-ai,' she called silently. 'My only wish for the new year is that I don't have to spend so much time apart from you. But I have no complaints about this year that's passed.'

Her memory flashed over the time that she first met him again, him picking her up and spinning her. His kiss outside the gate after he walked her home. Their first date. Him standing there looking out the window with no shirt on. His fingers playing her like a virtuoso. Her first time pleasing him. His guilty face as she held his broken fist. Him laughing with her about Masa and Sakura. 'It's been the best year of my life - so far.'

She felt warm - as if he were actually there holding her - and she smiled and turned to reenter the house.

XXX

XXX


	18. 18 Meet The Sanos

"Stop pacing

YEARS AWAY FROM WHAT I NEED

DISC: I don't own Hana Kimi or the characters. They belong to Hisaya Nakajo-sama and are licensed through Viz Media here in the U.S. Please don't sue. I'm not profiting from this story, other than the benefit of the joy of writing it.

Chapter 18 – Meet The Sanos

"Stop pacing!"

Sakura had not even lifted her head from her book at her desk as she barked out the command over her shoulder. She'd stopped grumbling about the difficulty of having to read an English novel and write a book report on it – IN ENGLISH! – and been trying to focus on the book in front of her instead. Reading a whole novel in a foreign language… well, if she got a good grade on this assignment, then she could rest assured that college wouldn't completely kick her ass.

They'd been given a choice of three books from which to read and write their reports. One the teacher had classified as easy to read but still rich with symbolism, one that was moderate reading, and one that was difficult. If you chose the easy book, The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, you were required to write a more in-depth report. If you chose the hard book, Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, your report could be more basic. And the moderate book, Peter Pan and Wendy by James Barrie? Well, with that, you could run a middle of the road report.

Sakura hated writing. So she chose Carroll. And it wasn't that the story wasn't interesting. It was. Weird, but interesting – almost like reading someone's dream. So writing the report would be fairly easy – or as easy as writing ever was for her. All she had to do was finish the damn book. Which shouldn't be difficult. Except… What were all these words? They weren't in her dictionary at all! Brillig? Mimsy?

And in the background, her sweet roommate – who had chosen Barrie only because she'd already read translations of the other two and so it wouldn't be fair, and who had written an in-depth analysis not only of the storyline, but the symbology used – kept pacing the damn room and distracting her. It wasn't fair.

"Kyoumi! Stop with the pacing already!" This time, she turned to her. "I know you're nervous, but some of us haven't even READ the damn book for this class, much less written the friggin' report." Turning back to the book, she expounded on her frustration. "And how the hell I'm supposed to write a report on a book that uses words that aren't even in the dictionary, I just don't understand. What the hell is a momewrath?"

The question got through to the long-haired brunette finally and she stopped her incessant movement. "Momewrath? That's the Jabberwocky poem. The words seem like nonsense, but they're supposed to be like portmanteaus – the author took two words and kind of combined them, so that you get the meaning of both words combined, but so that the sound of the word speaks louder than the original word itself. Like Slithy. It's supposed to mean slimy and lithe – but when you say it out loud, it really gives you the feeling. You have to say it in English though."

Sakura turned back to her with wide eyes. "But… how am I supposed to…"

Waving her hands consoling, she responded, "Don't worry so much about it. The poem is about a kid who goes out to slay a beast to prove his worth to his father. He succeeds. That's all you need to know. You don't even really need to talk about that in your report. It's not too important to the story – just there to help show the subliminal nature of everything going on. You can pretty much skip that whole part… Or mention a portmanteau or two that catch your fancy – that really sound like the meaning – and really wow the teacher." She grinned conspiratorially.

With a contemplative look, the tennis player queried, "Are there any other sections in this book designed specifically to trip me up? Anything else I should know?"

Her curvaceous roommate squinted in thought. "Hm. No, I don't think so. But is you want another little insight into this story, there has been talk that Carroll-san was a partaker of recreational drugs – and those experiences greatly influenced this story. No one knows if it's true, but he DOES have people getting small after eating mushrooms…"

Laughing, Sakura replied, "Already figured that one out. Although it is nice to know I wasn't just imagining those references. Anyone who writes about a rabbit with a pocketwatch has got to be taking something!"

Kyoumi joined her in her laughter and Sakura thanked the gods that she had been blessed with not only a roommate, but a best friend. She was always there for her. And now, once again, the buxom girl had managed to turn her frustrations with this class into clarity with just a few sentences.

So now she could do nothing less than return the favor. "Well, I'm glad that my inexperience with English has at least stopped you from pacing." She waited for a moment as the reason for Kyoumi's nervous behavior reasserted itself in her mind and the girl's face tightened again. "Even though I can see that it was only a momentary distraction."

Kyomi looked up at her guiltily for just a second before continuing in her nervous ambling.

"Okay, I can see that you're not going to let this go. So listen and listen good so I can get back to this hellacious book." She stood up to face her friend, grabbing her shoulders lightly, shaking the girl gently in emphasis with each point, her eyes driving the force home. "They. Are going. To love you. They are not going to care about your age difference.

"Because you make him happy.

"No. Screw that. You make him giddy like a friggin' schoolgirl.

"So, calm down."

Even though she nodded in agreement, Sakura could see her best friend was still harboring some doubts. "Okay, fine then," she muttered. Quickly, she spun and began rummaging in her desk, mumbling, "Dang it, I know they're in here somewhere… a-HA!"

One hand in a fist, she held it out toward Kyoumi like she wanted to give her something. When the authoress held out her hand to receive whatever it was, a bunch of small hard objects were released into her palm.

"There you go. Throw some beans around and get rid of those bad spirits, okay? Because it must be oni that are making you stress out. Either that or insanity."

Laughing, she admitted defeat. And then, she gave an embarrassed look while throwing the beans yelling, "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Out with the demons! In with good luck!")

Sakura smiled and shook her head before sitting down to do some more work on her book report as Kyoumi picked up 18 beans and ate them.

She knew it was ridiculous, but she did actually feel better after that. She picked up her notebook and put pen to paper on another story. All of a sudden, the idea for a story on how superstitions were more than just a reaction to the unknown had hit her and she had to get the thought out before it was lost.

She had just finished capturing the point in her story that epitomized the heart of the matter when her cell phone began to ring.

"Moshi, moshi," she said, carelessly into the phone, still writing the last few words of the sentence she'd previously started. As she heard the voice on the other end, she closed her notebook and put her pen away.

"Shuichi, calm down. You're talking too fast and I can't understand you." She paused to let him repeat himself, thinking, 'He's as nervous as I am. But why?'

"Okay, it's not a problem. I can come over right now and take over in the kitchen while you run to the train station." His response made her smile and chuckle. "Yeah, right. I'll leave right now, so try to relax. I don't want you trying to get it all done and injuring yourself... Yeah, I love you, too. Be there soon."

She clicked the phone shut.

"Train's arriving early. I gotta go," she called to her roommate as she quickly grabbed her purse and checked her appearance in the mirror for the 100th time since she'd begun her earlier pacing.

Without looking up, her athletic roommate called, "You look great, have fun, stop worrying, and say a prayer for me, okay? Because I'm not getting up from this desk 'til this damned report is done."

"Don't forget to at least eat," she called just before closing the door behind her.

Before she even got her shoes off, he was in front of her mouth running 1,000 miles a minute.

"Thank god you're here! They just called from the train – they're only 10 minutes away from the station." He began pulling her toward the kitchen and then pointing out everything he'd been working on. "The pastitsio's already in the oven and the flat bread is in the basket, ready to go. The spanikopita I took out just a bit ago – it's cooling off, but we can warm it in the microwave."

He gestured to the food processor and the small dishes that surrounded it. "Here's all the ingredients for the hummus. Just puree it all together 'til it's thoroughly mixed." Then he pointed to a pile of vegetables on the other end of the counter. "That's for the Greek salad. The pickled beets and the olives are in the jars behind it. If you could mix it all together, there should be about an equal amount of everything."

She nodded at him and smiled – this would be easy. He'd done all the hard work. "Go ahead and get to the train station and I'll finish up here."

Taking a deep breath, he paused and smiled at her. "You look beautiful, as always," he said softly before pulling her into a tight embrace. "I don't know what I'd do without you," he whispered in her ear.

And then he let her go and ran toward the door to put on his shoes and jacket. "GAH! I'm just so EXCITED!" he yelled as he did a little jump and then ran out the door.

She stared as the door closed behind him. "Wow. Hurricane Shuichi has left the building," she breathed. Clearing her head with a shake, she faced the tasks set before her, grabbed an apron and tied it on.

'He was so excited – he's so cute when he's like that.'

All ingredients were dumped unceremoniously into the food processor: strange peas that reminded her of natto for some reason although they looked and smelled nothing like it, oil, lemon juice, cloves of garlic, a dash of salt, and some weird white paste.

'It's to be expected, I guess. They're his closest friends – almost like family.'

Lid firmly secured, she set it to puree and turned to the vegetables.

'And the woman he's been in love with for 14 years.'

She pulled a salad bowl out of the cupboard into which the ingredients could be placed.

'He loved her for 14 years. Just like I loved him for 14 years.'

She began chopping, tomatoes first.

'Just like that. Knowing that she loved someone else.'

CHOP. CHOP. CHOP.

'But he loves me now. Right?'

Then, cucumbers.

'It's not just that she's unavailable.'

CHOP. CHOP. CHOP.

'I know because he told me. And that's why we're all having dinner together tonight. So I can see that for myself.'

On to bell peppers.

'So I have nothing to worry about.'

CHOP. CHOP. CHOP.

'What if they don't like me? I mean, first off, there's the age difference. What if they think I'm some kind of dumb slut?'

Then onions.

'Or worse, someone out for his money. He bought this house without even a loan – so they could think I'm after that.'

CHOP. CHOP. CHOP.

'What will I even talk about with them? I… I'm not very good at conversation.'

Finally, the feta cheese.

'God, I wish Sakura and Masa were joining us tonight. I know they'd help distract me before I start hyperventilating.'

Opening the jars of pickled beets and olives, she drained them and added them into the mix and tossed it all in the bowl, adding the Greek dressing that Shuichi had prepared and left in the fridge. He'd forgotten to mention it, but when she saw it in there, she figured it out.

'If only I had thought of inviting them to join us.'

She turned off the food processor and scraped all the hummus out into a nice bowl.

'I wonder what she looks like after all these years.'

She piled all the dishes from the prep work in the sink and began washing them.

'I don't really remember her clearly anymore – all those years of envy and being mad at her kind of screwed up my memory. I don't remember what Sano looked like either. I know he was tall… but that's about it.

'And they're bringing their kids. Gosh. Three of them.'

Putting the clean dishes away, she began to set the dining room table.

'I hope they get here soon or I'm going to drive myself crazy in anticipation.'

Dishes in place, she walked back into the kitchen to sneak a peek into the oven to see how the pastitsio was doing. She'd just turned the light on in the oven when she heard the front door open and the voices of several people.

Walking back into the main room, she pulled the apron off, holding it in one hand as she witnessed for the first time in 14 years the best friends of the one man she'd ever loved.

"Wow, Uncle Shuichi, your house is so big and pretty!" Takara called as she quickly kicked off her shoes and ran into the main sitting room. Wearing a soccer jersey and a pair of jeans, the 10 year old girl was a cute little tomboy – totally filled with spunk as she investigated everything in the room.

"Well, I'm glad you like it," he grinned as he held the door for the rest of the Sano family to enter.

Seiko finished removing his shoes quickly and then carried several of the bags into where Takara was flitting about. "Uncle Nakatsu? Where should I put our bags?" Kyoumi was struck by the appearance of the young man who entered after his sister. He looked just like the Mizuki from her memory. Okay, maybe he was a little younger and his hair was darker, but other than that, he could be an exact duplicate of him – uh, her – except that he seemed a lot more… together and serious.

"Set them down anywhere!" he called, "I'll set you up in your rooms in a minute."

Another familiar face walked into the main room, carrying the rest of the baggage. Tall and dark, but smiling way more than she remembered, was Sano Izumi. As he glanced around, she noticed him nodding – as if he was very proud of how well his friend had done for himself.

Kyoumi smiled softly as she saw it. All those years, she'd allowed herself thoughts of him as a betrayer, but deep down, she always knew it wasn't that simple. And whenever Shuichi talked about Sano, she could see how much his friend meant to him. It made her happy to know that the feeling was mutual between them. Best friends. Nakatsu meant as much to Sano as Sakura did to her.

And how hard it must have been on them both. For example, what would have happened if she had fallen for Masa? How would the two girls have handled it? That was something to think about. Perhaps it would even become a story once she'd ruminated on it for a while.

But that would have to wait. Because just then the woman of whom she'd been envious for so long stepped into the room, holding the hand of her youngest child. The years had not changed her much. Okay, now she had long hair, although it was pinned up in a cute knot. And she was wearing a cute little tweed, flared skirt with a turtleneck sweater. And, of course, her breasts were no longer hidden – although they weren't nearly as large and full as her own, not even after three kids.

She blushed in embarrassment at her own thought. This was so unlike her. She'd always hated them before. Why on earth would she be proud of them now? She really needed to get over this. The woman had chosen someone other than her Shuichi and everyone besides her had moved on. It was obvious that she was extremely happy with her life from the way she was smiling at her children. It wasn't like she was going to change her mind. She really and truly needed to relax.

The children really were as adorable as Shuichi had said. The youngest saw her looking at him and smiled. His expression was so sweet, all thoughts of envy fled her mind and she smiled back.

Tugging on Mizuki's skirt, he said, "Mommy, who's the pretty lady?"

At that moment, Nakatsu Shuichi stepped in view and said, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Kagurazaka Kyoumi."

Silence fell over the room as everyone turned to look at her. And then Takara stomped over to her and scowled at her. She scrutinized her thoroughly and said, "Do you think just because you're gorgeous that makes you good enough for my Uncle?"

Sano and Mizuki called out, "Takara!"

Mizuki continued, "You apologize right now, young lady," as Seiko called, "Don't be rude!"

Nakatsu just gaped.

But Kyoumi blinked at the girl and then stated very matter-of-factly, "Honestly, I don't think I'm even near good enough for him. But I do love him very much."

The little girl nodded at her seriously and then smiled. "Okay then. Nice to meetcha! I'm Sano Takara! Take care of my uncle and I won't have to kick your ass!"

Nakatsu burst out laughing, Mizuki put one hand over her mouth to keep herself from joining in and both Sano and Seiko rolled their eyes.

Kyoumi bowed to the girl and said, "It's very nice to meet you, too, Takara-san." Then she stood and said, "Sano Izumi-san, Sano Mizuki-san, I'm happy to meet you again. And this must be Seiko-san and Atae-san," she continued, bowing to each of them in turn.

"If you'd care to follow me, I'll show you to your rooms and the bathrooms so that you can get freshened up from your trip," she continued. They all smiled and nodded. Seiko and Sano grabbed the bags and she led them upstairs to the guest rooms that Shuichi had fully furnished and decorated in January, after he knew the Sanos would be coming for a visit.

With her back to them all, she frowned at herself. It wasn't really her place to act as the lady of the house – she probably should have let Shuichi lead. But he bought this house with her, right? And she'd been envious of Mizuki for way too long. He'd forgive her for overstepping her bounds. That is, if he even realized she had. Smiling, she realized he probably wouldn't have noticed or cared. This was Shuichi after all – the man who bought all his bedroom furniture based on what he thought she'd look good at.

Nakatsu smiled and followed, narrating and giving a tour of the house, pointing out the library and the furo on the way to the bedrooms.

Bags dropped off in the spare rooms, the host and hostess left their guests to freshen up.

"You might want to check on the salad and hummus," Kyoumi stated as they walked down to the kitchen. "I've never made either before, so I'm not sure I did it right."

He glanced quickly at the salad and stuck a finger in the hummus, then popped it into his mouth to taste it. "It's perfect!" he smiled at her. "Let's just hope I did as good with the spinach pie and pastitsio."

Shaking her head she declared, "Like anything you ever cook is bad? If you ever give up on coaching, you could be a chef, my love."

"Feh," he blushed. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He reached into the wine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of white wine. "I got us some retsina to drink tonight!" He smiled as he pulled it out. "It's not a real Greek meal without a bottle of retsina!"

Blushing, Kyoumi said, "I should probably pass, you know."

"Why?" he asked, puzzled.

"I am only 18, so…"

"But you usually drink wine with me at meals."

"But the kids… I wouldn't want to set a bad example."

At that moment, Sano walked into the room quietly and said, "I appreciate the thought, Kyoumi, but when they get to an age where they're considering drinking, I'd rather have them see alcohol as something to enhance a meal than something someone does to get drunk. It will be okay."

She smiled at him and bowed.

"Just so long as no one gets drunk," he stated seriously and then smirked to let her know he was joking when her eyes got wide and she looked like she was about to profess how she'd never!

"Well, either way, it's okay. I got some HbH, too! It's an orange soda from Greece. I used to drink that before the game, retsina with the meal, and ouzo after the game." He paused and added, "I got some of that, too. For later, though."

Sano and Kyoumi both shook their heads in response as Nakatsu finished opening the wine and then turned to check on the dinner.

Kyoumi once again went into hostess mode and began setting the hummus and flat bread out for everyone to snack on.

"So, I don't get it," Sano said softly, "Why the Greek theme for tonight's dinner?"

Calling from the kitchen, Nakatsu called, "Well, I always loved the food there when the team was laid over in Greece. And I'd never tried to make Greek food before, so I thought it was about time to give it a try." He walked in carrying a tray and the smell of spinach and onions wafted through the room. "I hope I did it justice – it'd be a shame if the first Greek food the rugrats try isn't as delicious as it should be."

"I'm sure it will be fine," Sano said kindly, and before anyone else could respond, the rest of the clan began to make their way into the room.

First came Seiko, who bowed to Kyoumi asking, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh, don't be such a suck-up, Seiko," Takara stuck her tongue out at him.

"Takara, don't be rude to your brother," Mizuki admonished before breathing in and then sighing, "Oh, my God! What smells so delicious?"

"The first course!" Nakatsu exclaimed happily. "So everyone make yourselves comfortable," he gestured to the dining table, "and settle in for our Greek extravaganza."

Smiling, Kyoumi commented, "Settle in is right. He made enough food to feed a small army."

Everyone made their way to the table with only a brief disagreement between Atae and Takara about who got to sit next to Uncle Shuichi, which was resolved when Kyoumi asked the youngest if he'd like to sit next to her. The final seating arrangement ended up with Nakatsu and Kyoumi on opposite ends, with Sano, Mizuki, and Atae on one side and Seiko and Takara on the other.

Nakatsu dished out the salad and spinach pie to everyone, pouring wine for the three grown ups and Kyoumi and HbH for the three kids.

"Uh… Uncle Nakatsu? What is this that we're eating?" Seiko asked politely before anyone could take a bite.

"Greek salad and spanikopita."

"You can't even tell that it's salad?" Takara taunted, just to irritate her brother.

"Of course I could tell it's salad – but it's different than most salads."

"Yep," Nakatsu responded. "The feta cheese gives it something special that you don't find in most salads. There's some feta mixed in with the other cheeses in the spanikopita, too."

"Sp- spah-nee…" Atae tried.

Mizuki swallowed the forkful she'd tried as soon as everyone started talking and jumped in to the conversation, "Spanikopita. It's spinach pie and it's delicious!"

"Spinach?" Atae asked, his tone clearly showing his distaste.

Seiko took a bite and then his eyes got wide. "Atae, just try it. It's really really good." He smiled at his uncle who just grinned happily.

The little boy grimaced, but took a bite. Then he smiled and said, "YUMMY!" before digging in to eat some more.

Mizuki laughed and tousled his hair. Then she spied something on the table and her eyes lit up. "Nakatsu… is that," her voice turned hopeful as she continued, "…hummus?"

He nodded and she quickly grabbed for the bowl, dishing up a huge spoonful onto her plate.

"I haven't had this since the last time I visited mom and dad. I used to love the hummus, sprout and cucumber sandwiches they sold at the bagel shop at the corner when I was growing up." She scooped some up onto a piece of flat bread and took a bite. "Oh! So good!"

"Thank Kyoumi," Nakatsu smiled. "She made it. That and the salad."

"It's delicious!" Mizuki proclaimed before scooping some more into her mouth.

Embarrassed, Kyoumi said, "All I did was put the ingredients into the processor. Nakatsu did all the work."

"Hey, don't eat it all, haha, I want to try some!" Takara called. (AN: haha mom. Most authors use okaasan, but that's polite. I wanted something more informal.)

Sano smiled and said, "Yeah, save some for me, too. And by the way, this salad is wonderful." He nodded at Kyoumi.

"I really didn't do much. I just cut up what Shuichi left out for me."

"Either way," Sano nodded, "It's wonderful. The olives give it quite a bite."

"Well, I'm glad the first course is going okay. I'll be bringing out the main dish as soon as…" A buzzer in the kitchen interrupted Nakatsu's speech. "…Right now! Excuse me." He pushed back from the table and quickly made his way into the kitchen to turn off the annoying sound.

Everyone ate in silence as Nakatsu went to bring the main dish.

"I'm glad everyone likes the appetizers," he said as he reappeared with a large oblong pan. "Because I've never made pastitsio before. If it's not good, we can always just fill up on everything else and I'll make some rice – okay?" He set the pan down and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, an apologetic look on his face.

Seiko quietly queried, "What's pastitsio, Uncle Shuichi?"

Cocking his head to the side, he scowled and then said, "I don't know if I can even describe it."

"Well, the restaurant your grandparents used to take me to referred to it as Greek macaroni and cheese," Mizuki said, "but that never seemed like an adequate description. American macaroni and cheese is nothing like pastitsio."

"The recipe book said, 'Layers of pasta & ground sirloin seasoned with cloves & nutmeg topped with béchamel sauce,' but I'm not sure what béchamel sauce is," Kyoumi commented.

Sano's face tightened in disbelief. "Seriously? Cloves and nutmeg with pasta?"

Laughing, Nakatsu started cutting slices for everyone. "Give it a shot. If you don't like it, we can make something else." He served the first piece to Kyoumi, then placed some on each of the kids' plates. Then Mizuki and Sano and finally, himself.

As he sat down to eat, Seiko commented, "It's good. Different. But good." Everyone nodded in agreement as they ate.

Now that everyone's curiosity about the strange food was sated, and everyone had decided the food was delicious, the conversation waned a bit. The only sound was that of silverware on china.

(AN: A. Japanese people can and do eat with silverware. B. Mizuki grew up in America and her household was not exactly traditional Japanese, so again, silverware would not be outside the norm. C. They're eating Western food, they would eat it in a Western manner. I'm writing this because this is the kind of detail that can get people bent out of shape. Let it go.)

Suddenly, Sano put down his fork and turned toward the hostess. "So, Kyoumi, how's your brother been doing? I heard he got married."

"What? Oh. Yeah. Five years now. Saki is wonderful. They're expecting their first child this April."

"Really?" Mizuki asked. "So you're going to be an aunt!"

"How does he feel about you dating this lug?" Sano jerked his thumb toward Nakatsu.

Blushing, she said, "Actually, I haven't told him yet. Just Tamami and my mom. He and dad are a bit overprotective of me and he always hated how much I liked Shuichi."

Mizuki nodded. "I can see that. He always used to give you such a hard time," she said to Nakatsu. "Remember how he always used to call you names – like banana head?"

"All I remember is that he always tried to pick on you because you wouldn't let him say anything bad about Sano," Shuichi replied.

Sano nodded, "He used to annoy you so bad. I swear, there were a couple of times where if we hadn't restrained you, you probably would have punched him in the face."

Trying to look innocent, Mizuki denied it, "Oh, now that's just not true." At the looks of disbelief, she gave in a bit, "Well, not after the first couple of times, anyway."

Everyone started to laugh and Takara said, "Haha was going to hit a boy for making fun of dad?"

"Yep," Nakatsu said proudly, "One that was about a foot and a half taller than her, too."

Even Seiko looked a bit impressed at that.

"Remember that time when he flipped you over your shoulder and carried you to me?" Sano said quietly. "I was just about to sock him in the jaw when you wiggled off him. I couldn't punch him because I was too busy restraining you from doing it."

"You guys! Seriously. He only annoyed me at first. But then I figured out that he was saying those mean things to get Izumi riled up enough to fight back – so that he'd get back to jumping. Really, I think he is a big softie. I wish we could have spent more time with him – I think we all would have become great friends."

"Makoto only ever had nice things to say about you, too, Mizuki-san. Even after he found out you were a girl."

Surprised, Mizuki turned to the younger girl. "What's with the –san? Just call me Mizuki." Then she gave her famous grin that warms the hearts of all who meet her.

Smiling shyly, she responded, "Okay, Mizuki."

"Mother, so Kyoumi-chan's brother went to school with you and father?" Seiko inquired softly, eyes sparkling with curiousity.

"Not to Ohsaka Gakuen," Izumi answered. "He went to a rival school."

"Remember?" Mizuki prompted, "He's the guy who your dad worked so hard to beat at the high jump."

"That jerk?" Takara exclaimed, impertinently.

"Takara! Just because he was a rival does not mean he was a 'jerk.'" Seiko scolded his sister. "You're being rude to Kagurazaka-san."

Laughing, Kyoumi responded, "It's okay. He's been called worse by my sister, I think. Besides, I know what he's like when he's competing. 'Jerk' is probably a nice term. – Oh, and you can call me Kyoumi, you know."

Seiko blushed and stared intently at his food, simultaneously thrilled and scandalized at the familiarity.

"He won't," Takara confided. "He won't even call Uncle Shuichi 'Uncle Shuichi.'" Her brother glared at her.

"It's true," Mizuki confided. "I have no idea how I ever raised such a respectful, obedient son-" And now, he was back to blushing.

"That was my influence, of course," Sano interrupted quietly.

This set up a nice set of banter, in which all the Sanos and Nakatsu as well discussed the merits of who influenced who – while Atae just smiled as if this were typical conversation every time they had dinner together. And Kyoumi watched bemusedly and fell into her own thoughts.

'She's so nice. It's so… Of course he fell for her. Of course. She had to be so nice for him to fall. And Sano – his best friend. Of course. Yes. Look at the way they all get along. It really… It really is…'

Nakatsu was laughing so hard, grinning from ear to ear at his friends. She smiled at them all, wondering what part she could possibly play in this long-standing history.

A touch on her hands startled her from her thoughts and she turned toward the quiet young man sitting next to her. His eyes were honest and clear as he looked at her, but he spoke softly – as if he didn't want to interrupt the conversation that was continuing with the rest of the family. Either that, or he didn't want anyone else to hear.

"Uncle Nakatsu tells me you write."

She softly responded, "Yes. Short stories," realizing that he was trying to make this a private conversation.

"Do… do you ever let anyone read them?" He sat up quickly as if startled by what he'd just asked. "I'm not asking to read them. I was just wondering because… I wondered if I should… I draw. But I don't like to let people see it. Just Mom, Dad and Uncle Nakatsu. But Mom keeps telling me I shouldn't…"

"I don't let anyone read them. Only Shuichi," she responded, smiling at him. "At first it was because I thought it would be stupid to let anyone read them – why would they care? And then… Well, for me, they're a bit personal. It'd be too… revealing."

"Embarrassing. Like you're letting someone know too much about you, letting them inside your head," Seiko responded, excitedly. "Yeah." She nodded, her mouth in a thin, thoughtful line.

There was a short, comfortable pause. Then Seiko added, shyly, "Uncle Nakatsu said you might be willing to pose for me some time. But only if you want to!"

Blinking, she was uncertain how to respond.

"I'd… I'd let you look at some of my stuff first – so that you can see if you want to."

"You… don't have to do that," she replied. "I'd… be flattered to sit for you."

"Really?! So cool! I haven't had much experience drawing people – Mom and Takara are too hyper to sit still long enough for me to get it right. So, I've really only drawn Dad and Atae – and just while they're sleeping. Oh, but don't tell them. They don't know." He was speaking in an excited whisper. "And you're so beautiful that it'd be like catching a butterfly on paper if I get it right."

All of a sudden, he realized what he'd just said and blushed a furious red, clasping his hands over his mouth. Kyoumi blushed in return at the compliment.

The sudden motion caught Nakatsu's eye and he gaped at seeing his quiet nephew in such a state. Sano followed his gaze and laughed at seeing his son in such a state. "Hey, hey, hey! What are you two talking about over there?" he asked. The attention keenly on the two at the end of the table, they both flushed a bit deeper as Kyoumi struggled to come up with a cover story.

"No flirting with your Aunt Kyoumi, Seiko!" Mizuki scolded, one eyebrow raised.

"I wasn't! We weren't-" Seiko sputtered. Kyoumi sat there, her mouth opening and closing, uncertain of what to say at all. Then, Seiko's eyes scrunched as he looked at his mother sassily. "I just told her that Uncle Nakatsu's taste has certainly improved since high school."

"Ooh. Ouch!" Sano responded chuckling.

"So you were flirting," Mizuki goaded until Seiko pouted, "No," and stuck his tongue out at her.

And then they all burst out laughing. Atae just had the "You guys are so weird" look painted on his face as he continued to eat quietly. Kyoumi's eyes were wide as she took in the good-natured ribbing. It was just like being home. She smiled at that. Who would have thought it?

X

Dinner finished, baklava eaten, dishes stacked into the dishwasher and leftovers placed in the 'fridge, Kyoumi had pulled Shuichi aside and let him know that she'd agreed to pose for Seiko and he smiled softly at her and helped distract everyone so that the boy wouldn't be further embarrassed. Dinner was embarrassing enough.

Herding the family into the living room, he coaxed Takara and Atae into taking over the Xbox 360 while Nakatsu, Sano and Mizuki sat on the sofa and talked about old times. Seiko and Kyoumi snuck out into the sun room.

"What do you want me to do?" Kyoumi asked.

Biting his lip, he said, "I don't know. I guess. Just pick a comfortable position and sit in it."

"Okay." She sat down somewhat stiffly, her back rigid, holding herself in a proper upright position.

He frowned. That wasn't going to work. "So how did you meet my Uncle?" he inquired as he pulled out his sketch pad and laid his pencils out in a nice row.

She sat up taller, even more tense from his question. Crap. That's not what he'd intended.

"We met for the first time when I was three years old. And again last fall." Her words were clipped and precise, even though he could tell she was trying to be as friendly as she could manage. The subject itself was making her nervous apparently.

"Sorry. I'm not trying to pry," he commented. "I was just curious about it." He started roughing out an outline – hoping she'd relax as they chatted. Otherwise, he'd never be able to capture just how pretty she was, and that would be a shame. Even if she did relax, he had serious doubts of his ability to capture it.

"I'm sure you know that we're not really related to Uncle Nakatsu – he's just a really good friend of my parents. I do have two real uncles though – Dad's brother, Shin, and Mom's brother, Shizuki. But even though he's not really my uncle, somehow, he's always been my favorite uncle, you know."

She smiled at him, and he noticed that she relaxed a bit as he talked. This was good. Maybe if he kept talking…

"We see Uncle Shin the most – because he lives in the same city that we do. We have him over for dinner about once a week, and when Mom and Dad had their monthly date night, they would always have him and Aunt Kanako come watch us if grandma and grandpa couldn't. But Uncle Shin always thought of us as kids – always treated us as kids.

"And yeah, I know we are. I'm not even a teenager yet. But, you know, Uncle Nakatsu just treated us like friends. Like Mom and Dad were friends and like we were friends."

Kyoumi couldn't help but watch as his hands flew over the paper, the pencils making skritch-skritch noises as he drew.

"When he'd play with us, it always seemed like it was because he wanted to play – even when Takara had him play Pretty, Pretty Princess – not like he was humoring us. And when he laughs, it's always from his belly – always real.

"We always know when he's happy and when he's sad. It… makes you know that it's okay for you to feel sad sometimes, too.

"He once told me that people aren't meant to feel happy all the time. You have to be able to feel everything, so you can know what you're feeling when you're feeling it. Like, even if you really like pickled plums, you don't want to eat them all the time. If you did, you'd never know what pickled plums really tasted like anymore. And you'd probably get sick of 'em, too. But if you have salmon and leeks and rice and green tea and all other sorts of flavors, then when you do have a pickled plum, it tastes really special."

Her smile grew. That sounded like something he'd say.

"Uncle Nakatsu always would talk to us like that. Real talk. That's why he's so important to us.

"So… I know this isn't my place to say anything, but I hope you marry him."

"What?!"

She blinked and started to move, but he waved frantically at her, "No! Please. I'm not done!" until she found the position she'd been in before and he nodded that she'd gotten it right.

"I… Why on earth would you…?" she asked, trying not to move.

He smiled kindly at her. "It's just I've never seen him so happy. Uncle never hid any of his feelings from us. But even when he was happy, it was more like he was happy on top of also being sad.

"Sometimes, when we'd all be sitting around, I'd see him look at Mom and Dad, and… well… it wasn't really a look of envy exactly – because you could tell he was really happy for them. He really is both Mom and Dad's best friend. But I always thought that… I don't know. It just seemed like he thought that there wasn't anyone out there to love him the way that Mom and Dad love each other. So, he'd take all the love he could get from them, and from us, because he thought that was all there was."

Kyoumi's eyes got wide and he could tell that she was struggling not to move and not to cry.

"But when he came over for New Years this year, it wasn't like that anymore. So, that's why I think you should marry him. I know I don't really know you at all. And I'm just a kid. But you make him happy, and that's all that matters to me."

The room was quiet except for the sounds of pencil on paper for a few minutes. And then, Kyoumi collapsed, burying her face in her hands and sobbing.

"Wh- what?" Seiko sputtered, dropping his pencil. "I'm sorry. I… I didn't…" He looked around frantically, his eyes wide in panic until he spotted his mother in the doorway. "Mom! I swear, I didn't do anything!"

Kyoumi looked up at his words and gasped, a look of horror on her face. "I know you didn't," Mizuki said to her son. "I'm really sorry to interrupt, but Takara wanted to play you at least once before she went to bed." She ruffled her son's hair and smiled widely at Kyoumi. "Seiko,why don't you go play a round and I'll talk to Kyoumi-san for a bit. Then you can come back and finish your picture, okay?"

He looked to Kyoumi to be sure she would be okay and she nodded absently, so he left the room, still looking back over his shoulder like he must have done something horribly wrong.

As soon as he was out of the room, Mizuki crossed over to her and said, "That's all that matters to me, too," and drew the girl into her arms, hugging her tightly. After a second, Kyoumi gripped her back and to her own horror found her tears renewed, unable to stop herself from crying into the shoulder of her supposed rival. Mizuki patted her back and made soothing noises until the younger girl's shoulders stopped shaking.

Finally, the girl pulled back. Mizuki allowed her some room, but kept her hand on the girl's arm.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled. "I was… I was just so nervous meeting you all. I guess I didn't really realize how stressed out I was. It's just… I really really love Shuichi so much. I was afraid you all might not like me. And if you didn't, I was afraid…"

She wiped under her eyes, but refused to look up at the woman until the sound of her chuckling drew forth her anger. 'How dare this woman mock me,' she thought as her eyes quickly wrenched up from her lap. But the sight that greeted her cut her anger short very quickly.

Tears were streaming down Mizuki's face as she smiled. "I was worried, too, you know," she said. "I've been worried about him for twelve years. He's… my best friend. And I'm so – so VERY – glad that he's finally found someone who loves him the way I always… the way he deserves to be loved."

And then the two girls hugged each other again, both crying. Until Mizuki pulled back and said, "You know, you really had nothing to worry about. Once Nakatsu makes up his mind, there's NOTHING that can talk him out of it. And he is in love with you."

Smiling, Mizuki said, "I didn't really come in here because Takara wanted to play Seiko." She waited until Kyoumi looked the question at her before she continued with her explanation, "I think Sano's joke about Seiko flirting with you at dinner had your boyfriend feeling just a TEEny bit jealous."

Kyoumi looked amazed, and then they both burst out laughing.

X


	19. 19 Meet The Parents Part I

YEARS AWAY FROM WHAT I NEED

DISC: I don't own Hana Kimi or the characters. They belong to Hisaya Nakajo-sama and are licensed through Viz Media here in the U.S. Please don't sue. I'm not profiting from this story, other than the benefit of the joy of writing it.

Chapter 19 - Meeting The Parents - Part I

He'd had a plan for this day. But he was discovering that his plans were often interrupted by friends and family.

Today was a national holiday. February 11th. Kenkoku Kinen No Hi, Founding of the Nation Day. No school today, so the two were just hanging out at the house. The *plan* had actually been to ask Kyoumi to go for a little trip with him by train. That shouldn't be hard to do. And then, while on the train, let her know that their destination was his parents' house. Deception wasn't really his forte, but knowing that she'd stress out about meeting them, he thought it would be easier on her.

But when he'd called his parents the day after the Sanos left, to make sure the plan was cool with them, his mother had shot him down. Hard.

"We have plans for that day. And you have apparently lost what little sense your father and I beat into your head as a child. Did you honestly believe I would agree to this? Tricking her into meeting us? Ridiculous. What on earth were you thinking? You'll scare her off permanently. No. The only thing to do is for us to come up there. She'll be on familiar territory and can leave and go to her dorm room if she decides we're too much to take. Instead, let's see... We'll be there the Sunday after Valentine's Day."

Yep. That's what his mom had said. February 17th was the planned date. A mere 12 days after he'd called her. And, following his mom's advice, he had even told Kyoumi the very next day that his mom would be coming. But it was still almost a week off, so she hadn't started stressing out yet. Or, not much. She'd only made him tell her every story he could remember about his parents and what they were like - what flowers his mom liked, how his mom and dad had met, how they had reacted when Nakatsu moved to Osaka Gakuen, how they'd reacted when he'd told them he had a girlfriend, what had they said about the girls he'd dated while on the football team, how his mom cooked, what she'd make for him when he was sick, what his father had thought about having the most famous footballer for a son, what he'd said when Shuichi retired - just a few questions to help her prepare.

And speaking of preparing, she'd been planning to have Sakura help her pick out an outfit this Saturday night. A nice outfit that made her look pretty, but safe - in no way a money-grubber or a trollop. Someone who was trustworthy for taking care of someone's son, and who might someday help in the production of attractive grandkids.

Definitely not the slacker kid she appeared in tight fitting jeans and lace trimmed tank top.

This was what she was wearing today for this national holiday, for which they'd planned a sort of a double date with Sakura and Masa, mostly because Sakura and Masa claimed they deserved to be able to eat Nakatsu's cooking at least on special occasions. They hadn't shown up yet, though. They were off playing tennis, during which Sakura would kick Masa's ass quite soundly, everyone was cheerfully certain.

Because they'd made these plans, had intended to just hang out with their friends for the holiday, Kyoumi had not been surprised when a bell rang announcing someone at the door. And because Shiuchi's hands were covered in bread dough - he was at the mix/knead stage, potatoes were baking in the oven to become the base for some gnocchi, and he'd thought a nice Italian bread would balance the meal nicely - and sticky hands can't open a door, Kyoumi had called, "I'll get it," and had run to greet their friends.

Surprisingly, she'd opened the door to see a lovely, well put together woman in a fur-lined coat and a sharp suit, and even though she was obviously middle-aged (somewhere between 45 and 55, Kyoumi guessed), she appeared energetic. A lovely streak of grey colored each temple, countering her black hair. Behind her stood a man similar in age, smiling happily, who was dressed in a simple flannel button-down shirt and jeans.

"Hello?" she started and then gasped at almost the same time that the woman started speaking.

"You must be Kyoumi-chan." Her tone was brisk. And the instant she began speaking, the young author knew exactly who these people were. How could she not see it? The woman had her own Shuichi's eyes, and the man had his smile. But they weren't due for almost a week!

"Since it was a holiday, we decided there was no sense in waiting around to visit." The woman brushed past her and entered the house, began taking off her shoes. Her husband shrugged apologetically and followed. "After all, I've been waiting 30 years for that son of mine to finally grow up enough to find someone to date. And now, he's not only dating, but he's bought a house."

She laughed and turned around, grabbed Kyoumi by the hands, held them out to the side as she looked the girl up and down. Nodding, the woman who birthed Shuichi spun her, giving her the same once over from all angles. "Yes. I can see what he was talking about." She turned to her husband and said, "My goodness. I know I told him I wanted attractive grandchildren, but this is going a bit overboard."

Then she spun away from the stunned young woman, not before handing Kyoumi her coat, and began making her way into the house. "Shuichi!" she called, "Come greet your mother!"

Two seconds later, the former football star of Japan entered the room, hands still covered in bread dough.

"Mom?!?" he exclaimed. "What the heck are you doing here!"

She made a fuss over his hands and followed him into the kitchen, inquiring regarding what he would be making them for supper. Faintly they could hear her say, "What do you mean yoki? Do not be rude child, or I'll tan your bottom," before the voices faded away. (AN: Yoki means "expectation, forecast, assume will happen". He's said gnocchi - but she's unfamiliar with the term and thinks he's saying that her asking to be fed is expected behavior.)

Quietly, the father of the love of her life shut the door to the house, still smiling, and bowed to her, pulling his wife's coat out of her hands. "It is very nice to meet you, Kagurazaka Kyoumi. I'm Nakatsu Naoki. The lovely woman who has just entered the kitchen on my son's heels is Nakatsu Kanoko. Shuichi has told us much about you. Including how someday you're going to be a world-famous writer."

Still a bit stunned, she nodded. The gentleman hung his wife's coat on the rack, then patted Kyoumi on the shoulder. "I know. I know. She's a bit of a force to be reckoned with, eh? Kind of like watching a thunderstorm. It's beautiful if you know it's not likely to strike you." Then he laughed. "Isn't family fun?"

Eyes wide, she muttered, "I hope you can say that after you meet *my* family."

While Kyoumi hadn't really meant that to be heard, Nakatsu-shi responded, smiling, "I can't wait. But now, we're missing the entertainment. I believe there's a mother-son comedy-hour taking place in the kitchen." He winked and gestured for her to lead the way.

X

Shuichi was trying his best not to laugh. It wasn't smart to laugh in a situation like this. In any case, it wasn't smart to laugh at the woman you love - no matter what the situation. But she was so cute he could hardly stand it. The banter going over her head was turning her into a ripe tomato.

"Exactly my point, Nakatsu-sama!" Sakura replied grinning. "That's why, as her best friend, *I* should be allowed to read all her stories. Then, I can provide an unbiased opinion and help her decide which ones should be the first submission for publication."

Waving one finger in the air, the ex-footballer's mother retorted, "Ah, but your opinion *would* be biased, as you *are* her best friend. No. She needs someone who can be completely honest with her. And as I have no relation to her at all, that job should instead fall to me."

"But you're her future mother-in-law! Isn't there enough potential for strained relations at the fact that she's going to be taking your son away-"

"But Shuichi has been gone from me for so long, that really can't make a difference-"

"AND, she has the potential to give you grandchildren to fill the gap that appeared when he left!"

"Well, which is it, Sakura-chan? Am I going to be too strict as a Mother-in-law, or too forgiving as a grandmother? If it's both, I'd say that this strengthens my point that I'm the only one who can be perfectly unbiased."

The sound of applause interrupted the debate, as well as some chuckles. "You know, you may be the first person I've ever seen get the better of Sakura in a debate," Masa laughed.

"I, for one, am impressed at anyone who can give my wife a run for her money." Nakatsu-shi replied smiling. "But, regardless, I think it's time to stop teasing poor Kyoumi-chan." He turned to her and said, "My dear, don't fret. If anything, look at her eagerness to read your stories as proof that you've charmed the thunderstorm. Not everyone has that kind of power." He winked at her and then laughed as his beloved wife actually blushed.

Kyoumi cleared her throat, "Um… The gnocchi was delicious, but I'm wondering what you've got planned for dessert."

"Not so subtle with the topic change," Sakura commented, giving a thumbs up. "But a good try."

Laughing, his mother continued, "Yes, and let's honor the attempt. It *was* a delicious meal. So why is it that you never cook for me when you come home, young man?"

Rolling his eyes, he replied, "It's your kitchen, ma. I'm not gonna try to take over there."

"Besides," Kyoumi replied, "Doesn't everyone want to eat their mother's cooking when they go home?"

Shaking her head with a bemused grin, "You don't have to suck up, child, I already like you."

Kyoumi sputtered, "I- I wasn't… I wouldn't…"

Everyone at the table burst out laughing again.

"Dear lord, you are just too easy to tease!" She looked at her son, "I hope you don't give her as much trouble as *I* do!"

Smiling with amusement, Nakatsu Shuichi simply shook his head in the negative.

"Good. Now. I think Kyoumi and I should go do some dishes together, while the rest of you relax. We'll bring out whatever my son has prepared for dessert when we come back." With that, she stood and began gathering dishes to bring to the kitchen. Kyoumi followed suit, with the expression of a lamb about to be brought to the slaughter.

X

Not a word was said as they made their way into the kitchen. Kyoumi began storing the food to be eaten as leftovers. As she did that, Mama Nakatsu took rinsed each dish, placing it into the dishwasher.

After several minutes, when the dishes were almost done and all the food put away, the elder woman said in a casual tone, "Kyoumi-chan. You know, I love my son very much. I cannot begin to tell you how proud of him I've been - that he went off and followed his dream, made it a reality." She continued to finish up with the dishwasher, placing the last dish and grabbing the bottle of dishwasher liquid out of the cabinet under the sink. "And now, he's a professor at a well-esteemed school, and dating a student from their sister-school. Someone 14 years younger than he is. Someone who has her whole life ahead of her."

She closed the dishwasher with a bang, then turned the knob to start the appliance. With her back still to Kyoumi, she continued. "So there is something that needs to be addressed. My name is Kanoko and I would appreciate it if you would call me that until he makes it official and you can call me Okaasan. `Nakatsu-sama' is old and too formal and I won't have it." She turned to look at the girl, who she knew would have a shocked look on her face before she even said it. "I always wanted a daughter, but I must say I never pictured one quite so beautiful and charming as you."

She smirked at the dumbfounded girl and said, "Did you really think I would raise objections when my son is so obviously happy? I love my son dearly. And you quite obviously love him and are as proud of him as me. Not to mention, you seem to have more basic intelligence than Shuichi, so you'll be a good balance for him. Between the two of us, I think we'll keep him on his toes, don't you?"

Kyoumi smiled shyly. "Thank you, Kanoko-san. I will do my very best to take care of your son, for as long as I can."

"As long as you can?"

Shrugging, she responded, "We're not married yet. And you never know what the future will bring."

Nakatsu Kanoko blinked at her. "This is true. However, my son does not give up on something once he's made up his mind. And it is made up on you. I imagine he'd be willing to fight the gods to keep you by his side. Heaven knows he had to fight hard enough to succeed at football, and he seems more certain about you than he ever was about that." She clapped her hands together as if to physically call the matter closed. "Now. What did my son cook up for dessert?"

Kyoumi pulled from the fridge the tiramisu that she'd come across while putting the leftovers away. "Tiramisu."

"Oh, my very dear lord. When *did* that boy learn how to cook like this?" she exclaimed, looking at the dessert. "I fear that he's gone into the wrong profession."

"*I* fear that if I'm not careful, your son is going to make me very fat."

Laughing, they brought the dessert out to the rest of the family.

X

The rest of the evening went by with much laughter and enjoyment. Sakura and Masa made good bantering partners with Kanoko and Naoki. There was much teasing as to the possible future of the couple, including the number of children they should have, names for their as-yet-unconceived children, details for the wedding, and anything else that might be seen as potentially embarrassing. Overall, the feeling was that of family.

Afterwards, when the house was empty again except the two of them, they sat next to each other on the couch and sighed in unison.

"I really like your parents."

He smiled. "They really liked you."

She smiled in return. "I think they're just glad you're considering giving them grandkids."

"I'm so sorry she put you on the spot like that - asking how many grandchildren you thought your hips and breasts could bear." He shook his head in disbelief, but she just laughed in response.

"Your father's counter, asking you about your sperm count was more embarrassing for you, I think."

Chuckling, the two sighed in unison yet again, leaning on each other for support. Before they knew it, they'd both fallen asleep.


	20. 20 Valentine's Day Slip Up

YEARS AWAY FROM WHAT I NEED

DISC: I don't own Hana Kimi or the characters. They belong to Hisaya Nakajo-sama and are licensed through Viz Media here in the U.S. Please don't sue. I'm not profiting from this story, other than the benefit of the joy of writing it.

Chapter 20 - Valentines Day Slip Up

February 13th. The boys had been ditched. The girls needed to study and the boys would have to just spend the night without them.

Masa sat at the desk that Kyoumi used at Nakatsu's house, furiously studying for both finals and entrance exams. He had to get into Tokyo University. Sure, there were other schools that taught architecture, but almost universally, the top architects in Japan had studied at Tokyo U. He might also need to eventually do some graduate studies in the United States - at Harvard, most likely. But first, he had to get into Tokyo U.

Math wasn't a problem. Math made sense. You learned the rules, then followed them, and you were set. History was also pretty much set for him. It doesn't change, so you learn it once and you're set. But English and Biology were another matter. He always had to exert more effort to do well for these subjects.

Nakatsu was leaving him alone to study - since he knew these subjects weren't exactly his strong suit. Instead, he was fretting about what to do for the next day. He kept opening and closing the box with the earrings. Well, she certainly did seem to like the bracelet he'd gotten her. He was probably worrying too much over nothing.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of chocolates Kyoumi was making him. Yeah, he wasn't so naïve to think they were actually studying.

X

"I've never made chocolates before. What do we do?"

"You're asking me?" Sakura glared in disbelief. "Don't you remember? I'm the sporty girl. I don't know from cooking."

Sighing, Midori took charge. "Honestly. The first question is: do your men like sweet things?"

"Shuichi does."

"Masa doesn't typically prefer sweet things, but he doesn't dislike them either."

"Okay then," Midori looked like a battle general as she laid out the ingredients in the home economics room. "YOU," she pointed at Kyoumi, "will want to use milk chocolate. And you," she nodded at Sakura, "will need dark. So the next question is, presentation. Are we going for subtle chocolates - something that is a gift so they should understand what you're feeling, even if you're not blatant about it - or do you want something more direct, that can't be misinterpreted?"

"What… what do you mean?" Sakura stuttered and blushed.

Smacking a hand down on the table, Midori exclaimed, "Come on! I've got my own chocolates to make! Do you want to do heart shapes or do you want to go with traditional candy shapes? Or what?!"

Kyoumi sniggered at seeing Sakura so hesitant. "Oh, I definitely think you should go with something heart shaped. I can just see Masa's reaction to you giving him your chocolate covered heart."

"Shut it, Kyoumi." Unbelievably, Sakura was pouting.

"And you? What about yours?" Midori asked.

"You should make him little chocolate soccer balls."

"Yeah, right. Well, if I'm making him soccer balls, you should make Masa some tennis balls. After all, it was seeing you on the tennis court that made him fall for you."

Midori's eyes lit up. "Oh. Yes. That will work." She began setting out the ingredients. "We'll do a truffle filling and make a soccer ball coating. And you. We'll use peanuts as the core for the tennis balls - coating them until they're round, then decorating them with a yellow sugar. And for the hearts, we'll use pretzel twists filled with peanut butter to make the heart shape, then dip those. All right. Let's get to work!"

"What are you making for Kayashima?"

"Chocolate covered gummy bears, shaped to look like ghosts."

"Ghosts?" the two girls asked in unison.

She nodded. "It's my way of showing him that I'll always accept every part of him. He didn't tell me until recently, but… he can talk to ghosts."

The two girls stared in disbelief.

"I know. There've been a lot of people who freak out about it. It's kept him isolated. He's really only had his uncle to talk to about it. That's why he and his Uncle Taiki have always been close. But now, he's got me."

The roommates shared a look, then smiled. "So what do we do to start?"

(AN: If anyone wants to know how to make these chocolates, just let me know! I could make any of these at a moment's notice.)

X

Kagurazakas Manami, Saki, and Tamami were in the kitchen of the shrine where Kyoumi had grown up.

"I can't believe you're making me make chocolates," Tamami grumbled as she finished shaping her 38th chocolate treat.

"Oh, come on," Manami said softly. "You know you're fun. Besides, this is good practice for when you finally get a boyfriend."

"Mom!" Tamami barked, "I told you I don't have time for one right now. I have to finish up my residency. This is the one day I've got off this week."

Smiling, Saki replied, "And you know you love spending it with your family."

Tamami blushed, then scowled. "Yeah. But I'd rather just spend it with you guys, not sit here making lovey dovey crap when I don't have anyone to be lovey dovey with."

"You can always take some of your share of the chocolates to your patients. And the nurses you work with. That will be nice won't it?"

Thinking about the patients in her ward, those who would be stuck in the hospital tomorrow and very unlikely to get any Valentine's Day treats at all, Tamami had to smile. "Yeah. It'll be nice to give everyone a little something. But I still say it would be better if I wasn't single. It's just not fair. You've got dad," she nodded at her mom, then at Saki, "and you've got Makoto and Kyoumi's got Nakatsu. Who the hell have *I* got?"

Silence filled the kitchen and Tamami looked up to see her mother's eyes wide with panic and her sister-in-law's wide in shock. She went back over her words and then gasped at what she'd let slip. But what was worse, the two women in the kitchen were staring over her shoulder.

"What?" The sound of Makoto's voice was disturbingly quiet from behind her.

Her mother had regained her calm and gone back to making chocolates. "Oh, nothing dear. Tamami's just a bit jealous because she doesn't have a boyfriend for Valentine's Day."

Tamami didn't have to turn around to know that Makoto was staring at her, so she just continued to make chocolates as well, following her mother's example. Saki's eyes were bouncing around the room from person to person. Finally, they widened as Makoto grabbed Tamami's shoulder and spun her to face him.

"What did I hear you say about Kyoumi and…"

But before she could say anything, her mother just waved a hand. "It's no big deal, dear. Your sister told me all about it at Christmas. It seems she's got a boyfriend. I bet she's making chocolates for him right now."

Makoto stared in shock. "Am I to understand that Kyoumi is dating… NAKATSU SHUICHI!?! And you don't have a problem with that??!" He was yelling now.

"Kagurazaka Makoto, you lower your voice right now. You may be an adult, but I am STILL your mother!" She turned back to the stove. "And yes. That is correct. Kyoumi's boyfriend is named Nakatsu Shuichi. And it would seem that he's quite serious about her."

Tamami nodded and Makoto's eyes bugged out of his head. Saki looked like she didn't quite know what to do.

"Have you all LOST YOUR MINDS?" he exclaimed. "May I REMIND you that she is FOURTEEN years younger than he is? How can you possibly allow this to go on?! This is your daughter - your sister! You're just going to let that APE take advantage-"

Tamami slapped his face. "Makoto, just shut up. Mom and Dad raised Kyoumi to be an intelligent young woman. She knows her own mind. This is EXACTLY the reason that she didn't want to tell you about it. When she told me about how she met him again, how they started dating, it was the happiest I've ever seen her in her entire life! And the only bit of sadness that she expressed was that YOU might not accept it."

The diminutive woman glared daggers at her brother. "And let me tell you something, you had BETTER just learn to live with it. Kyoumi is going to MARRY Nakatsu Shuichi. With or without your blessing. And if you do ANYTHING to make her feel that her family is not behind her decision, she will LEAVE this family BEHIND. And if I lose my sister because of YOUR DUMB ASS, I will NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

With that, she stormed out of the kitchen and up to her room, leaving a gaping trio behind her.

Once she was in her room and collapsed on her bed, she exhaled loudly, thinking, `God, I hope that temper tantrum was enough to convince him. Kyoumi. I am so sorry. Me and my big mouth.'

X

Valentine's Day.

Classes had gone pretty much as usual for a Valentine's Day at St. Blossom. Most of the class had plans for delivering chocolates to whomever from Ohsaka had captured their interest at the Christmas dance, which meant tension was higher than usual. But the classes themselves, well, they were typical of any day.

Well, except for the fact that they'd gotten back their English papers. Sakura had gotten only eight points less than Kyoumi and was gloating spectacularly. "Highest mark in the class!" she bragged.

"I got a 99. You only got a 91," Kyoumi laughed.

"Yeah, but you don't count. You're too smart. It's a given that you'll do well. And how the heck did you lose a point, anyway?"

"I misspelled Oedipal complex."

Sakura glared, her mouth a tight line before she spoke, "You're kidding."

"No. I feel really stupid about it. I spelled it O-E-D-I-B-A-L. I mean, really. Oedibal? I might have well have written that he wanted to EAT his mother." She groaned and her roommate just shook her head in disbelief.

"Only you would get so upset about something like this." Then she laughed. "But that just proves my point. Your score doesn't count." She grinned widely, then seemed to remember something. "So… You ready to go deliver some chocolates?"

Kyoumi grinned, then reached to unlock the door to their room. She'd just opened the door when she heard Hisa calling.

"Yo. Kyoumi. You've got a visitor."

"Ha!" Sakura replied. "Looks like loverboy couldn't wait."

Hisa smirked. "It's your brother."

"Makoto?" she responded, her eyes wide with worry. She ran to the lobby to find out what could possibly be wrong.

As she got to the lobby, she said, "Makoto? Makoto, what's wrong? Why are you here?"

Grimacing, he looked at his beautiful sister in her school uniform and replied through gritted teeth, "Let's go talk in your room."

"What is it? What's wrong?" she was panicked now.

Again, through gritted teeth, he said, "I'm here to stop my baby sister from doing anything stupid."

From doing… Oh.

Her expression became determined as she responded, "Yes. You're right. We should talk in my room." Without a further word, she spun and regally strode back toward her dorm room. Her older brother stalked angrily behind her.

When they got to the room, Sakura jumped from where she had been nervously chewing on her pencil and said, "Is everything alright?"

Ensuring the door closed behind him, Makoto spun and said, "No, Sakura, everything is most assuredly NOT alright. Did you know? What am I saying? Of course you did. You're all insane. Well, I'm going to bring you all back to sanity if it's the last thing I do."

"Um…" Sakura began.

"The man is FOURTEEN YEARS OLDER THAN HER!" he shouted at Sakura. "What the hell is wrong with all of you?" Arms thrown wide, he was exploding with frustration. "He ought to be locked away for perversion! And you!" He spun on his sister and pointed at her, then melted a little. His voice was gentle, tender as he continued. "I know you've had your fantasies about him, but it's not healthy - you KNOW it's not. I can't let you take this any farther. You're my sister and I love you. As your big brother, I need to protect you."

The petite writer took a deep, calming breath. Then, she turned toward the desk and pulled out Sakura's box of chocolates. "Sakura, I believe you're going to be late for your date if you don't hurry and get changed. And you wouldn't want to waste this opportunity to give Masa these chocolates that you worked so hard on."

Sakura nodded and grabbed her clothes, escaping into their bathroom.

Once the bathroom door was fully closed, Kyoumi looked up at her brother, sat at her desk and said, "Aniki, I do wish you'd sit down. This is obviously going to be a long conversation and I don't want to get a crick in my neck looking at you." Then, she continued to just look at him, placidly, until he sighed and sat in the other desk chair.

"That's better. Now, I have to ask - what are you doing here?"

He sputtered at her, "Wh- wha? What? What am I DOING here? I just told you! I'm here to bring to an end all these foolish notions of you DATING that blond baboon!"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, projecting an air of supreme disappointment. "In case you haven't looked at a calendar, it's Valentine's Day. And instead of spending it with your pregnant wife, you're HERE?"

He scoffed, "She knows where I am and why."

"And that makes it all better? You're quite the romantic, Makoto. I'm sure Saki was thrilled about spending this day alone."

"We're not talking about Saki and me. We're talking about YOU."

She nodded. "Ah. And you think that I should take romantic advice from someone who's so STUPID that he leaves his pregnant wife alone on the most romantic holiday of the year? And why on earth would I-" She cut herself as Sakura exited the bathroom, looking funky cute in a miniskirt with a thick belt, a mock turtleneck, and go-go boots.

"Well, I better get out of here if I want to go help Midori prepare for her date and still meet Masa on time. I'll tell her to make sure she stops by to help you with your outfit, too."

Kyoumi nodded and smiled. There was no need for Sakura to be helping Midori. And Sakura was the one who dressed Kyoumi for her dates. The meaning was clear. Sakura would let Nakatsu know what was up, so that he could help solve this little dilemma. What the heck. They knew it had to happen sooner or later.

She grabbed the box of chocolates, her purse and her cell phone, and escaped the room.

"You're not going on any date, Kyoumi." His words were quiet and angry. "I won't allow it."

She sighed. "Aniki, let me set you straight on this. I am in love with Nakatsu Shuichi, and-"

He snorted interrupting her, "Like you're even old enough to know what love is!"

Her head shook sadly. "I see. If you aren't even willing to converse with me, there's nothing left to say." She folded her arms and waited.

"It's just infatuation. Believe me, you'll thank me later for what I'm doing today." She sat there impassive, allowing the words to just flow over her.

He sighed. "Okay, if you won't listen to reason, I guess I'll just have to beat some sense into that asshole. When I get done with him, he'll be sure to leave you alone."

She smirked, but otherwise ignored him.

"Where is this house of his that he bought?"

"Hm," she replied. "I wonder."

"I'm serious, Kyoumi. Tell me where he lives so I can go kick his ass."

Her look spoke volumes of "You think I'm going to tell you?" as well as "Kiss my ass."

"I can wait here all night if I have to."

She just shook her head in response and the two of them settled into a staring contest.

About 10 minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and without a word, Kyoumi stood, crossed the room, and opened the door.

"Kyoumi! Is everything okay? Sakura called to tell me your brother was… here…" Nakatsu's speech slowed as he saw the glowering face of Kagurazaka Makoto. Kyoumi gently pulled him into the room and closed the door about half a second prior to her brother erupting into screams.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MY LITTLE SISTER YOU DUMB APE?!"

Nakatsu blinked then looked at the shrieking Makoto, then back to Kyoumi, who appeared to be very, very angry from the way she was simmering quietly.

Softly, she said, "Makoto, Shuichi has been nothing but a perfect gentleman, so STOP TALKING ABOUT MY BOYFRIEND LIKE THAT!" She pulled back as if she were going to punch her brother, but Nakatsu stopped her with a soft hand on her shoulder. And before she could stop him, he knelt and prostrated himself before her brother.

"I am in love with your sister, and I humbly request your permission to court her formally."

Simultaneously, the Kagurazaka siblings responded, "Shuichi, you don't have to do this!" and "Like HELL I'll give you permission!"

Nakatsu remained kneeling as Kyoumi continued, "Makoto, I'm only going to tell you this once. I love Shuichi. He loves me. Enough to kneel before your dumb ass. If you can't accept our relationship, then I will formally renounce you as my brother."

He turned to her, "Wait. What?"

"I've made up my mind. I love you, Aniki, but I love Shuichi more. And I WILL stay by his side."

Shuichi lifted his head, but remained kneeling. "No," he said. "No. I won't allow that."

Kyoumi turned her head toward him in shock. "Shu-"

"I can't come between you and your family, Kyoumi. I just can't. I've read your stories. I know exactly how much they mean to you. If you were to give up your family for me, eventually, you'd start to resent me."

"I wouldn't-"

"Kyoumi, I love you too much to do that to you. To divide your loyalties. But don't you worry." He turned to Makoto. "I'll win him over. I'll do whatever it takes. I'll camp outside his house if I have to. But eventually, he'll see how serious I am about you. How I'd give up everything for you. I'll do whatever it takes."

Makoto looked at the footballer, then his sister, his face a blank. Then, he scowled. "Really. You'll do whatever it takes?"

He nodded and smiled his patented Nakatsu-will-overcome-everything grin.

"So, if I say you have to let me beat you up every day for a month, without taking a swing at me in return, you'd do it."

He nodded and lifted his chin as if putting it out there as a target.

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "If I told you to put on a dress and run through St. Blossoms singing, `I'm a pretty pretty princess,'?"

"I'm sure Dr. Umeda at Ohsaka would have one that would fit me."

He smirked. "Is it true, what my mother told me, that you… that you… don't believe in… that you're waiting until you're married?"

At this, Nakatsu looked offended. "I would NEVER do anything to dishonor the woman I love."

Makoto ran his hands through his hair and paced the room. "AHHHH! If you ever hurt her, if you ever make her cry, I will personally cut your balls off. Are we quite clear about this?"

Nakatsu nodded.

"You. Come home more often. Saki misses you." He pulled Kyoumi into a hug and then stormed out of the room.

The couple looked at each other quietly, Nakatsu still kneeling on the floor. "Did he just…?"

Chuckling, "Yeah. I think he did," she replied, pulling him up and into an embrace.

"Happy Valentine's Day, my love," he commented.

She started and pulled back. "Oh, yeah. I have something for you." She grabbed her own box of chocolates out of her desk drawer. "I made these for you."

He grinned and opened the box. "Oh. Little soccer balls! How did you get the chocolate to do that?"

"Midori helped. Sakura made little hearts and little tennis balls for Masa, and Midori made little ghosts for Kayashima."

He smiled. "You girls worked hard… Wait. Kayashima? Ghosts? My roommate in high school was Kayashima. He was the nicest guy, but people used to give him shit because he saw ghosts."

"Oh. That's probably his uncle. Midori said his uncle was training him and stuff."

Shaking his head with a lopsided grin, he said, "Damn. Kayashima. Small world." He popped one of the chocolates in his mouth. "Mmmm. These are really good."

Placing her hand on his she smiled, "But don't eat them all now. We've got a dinner to go to, and we don't want to keep Auntie O waiting. Just give me a second to change, okay?"

He nodded, and she disappeared into the bathroom to put on one of the dresses her mom had bought her at Christmas and apply some makeup. Her hair would just have to go up in a quick knot. There wasn't enough time for anything else.

While she dressed, he sat on the bed and played with the box in his pocket. Before long, she came out in an emerald green silk dress, with a sweetheart neckline bordered with little clear crystals, the dress contoured to show off her curves as it settled into a wispy handkerchief hemline that floated right around her knees. Black patent pumps on her feet and the emerald bracelet on her wrist set off the rest of the outfit. Her hair was in a knot, chopsticks holding it up off her neck.

"My mom got it for me during Christmas. She thought it matched the bracelet you got me pretty well." She spun quickly. "Do I look okay?" she asked.

He smiled. "Almost perfect. But… I think something is missing." He pulled out the box and held it out to her.

She opened it and gasped. "Oh. Oh, Nakatsu, they're beautiful."

"Only the best for the woman I love."

She blushed and put them on.

"Well, let's not keep Auntie O waiting," he said, and took her arm to escort her to dinner.


End file.
